Devotion
by Lalaith Quetzalli
Summary: -AU to Nightingale.- When Thor goes to assist in the battle against the chitauri, he isn't alone; with him travels a cloaked, slight female, one no could have ever expected: the Goddess of Devotion, the Nightingale, Loki's match and consort. And she will reclaim her beloved from the shadows that dwell in the abyss, no matter the cost. (Warning: Mentions of abortion and miscarriage)
1. Match

As always Loki, the rest of the characters, the movies of Avengers, Thor, and everything else in the Marvel Cinematic Universe belongs not to me, but to its creators. Nightingale is mine (the character, not Emily Browning, whom I've chosen to represent her) as well as any character you do not recognize as belonging to the MCU or Marvel in general. Any changes I've done are part of the Nightingale verse... This has been created as just a means of enjoyment and I'm making no money out of it, so please don't try to sue.

As has become usual, changing POVs, always assume it's Nightingale narrating unless I say otherwise (at least the intro line will always be hers).

* * *

Devotion

(Alternative Universe to _Nightingale_)

_By: Lalaith Quetzalli _

_When Thor goes to assist in the battle against the chitauri, he isn't alone; with him travels a cloaked, slight female, one no could have ever expected: the Goddess of Devotion, the Nightingale, Loki's match and consort. And she will reclaim her beloved from the shadows that dwell in the abyss, no matter the cost. _

**Match**

I traveled the shadows, searching for my match, I would not stop until I found him.

**xXx 3****rd**** Person POV xXx**

As half a dozen soldiers left the room that had become the impromptu cell for the extraterrestrial criminal Loki after checking that all security measures were still in place, a figure stepped forth from the shadows. It was small, the size of a child or a young teen, except for her eyes, which showed someone older, probably even older than her real age. Even out of the shadows, it would be hard for anyone to point her out, not only because of the spell concealing her, but also the dark-plum cloak with lighter lining she was completely covered in. Her steps made no noise as she moved around.

Slowly, silently, she moved through the room, surrounding the cylindrical glass and steel cage-like construction that was being used as a cell. She was careful to stay mostly in the shadows, and continuously made sure her face was completely concealed beneath the hood of her cloak; while at the same time she studied the prisoner.

"What went wrong with you, with us, my love?" She whispered in the lowest whisper.

The green-silk and dark-leather clad sorcerer started abruptly, as if he'd been able to somehow hear the girl's whisper; yet as he looked around, searching, there was nothing to be seen, and not only because of the spell protecting her, as there was a chance he could have seen through that; she'd disappeared into the shadows yet again, right after whispering that question.

**xXx**

In the bridge of the huge flying fortress of S.H.I.E.L.D. known as the helicarrier, Thor, the tall, broad-shouldered, blonde God of Thunder and Crown Prince of Asgard couldn't help but stiffen briefly as he sensed the figure stepping out of his shadow. She was still concealed magically, which he knew meant no one but he was aware of her in that moment, so he chose not to react to her presence at all. Letting her choose when to reveal herself, if at all. Instead he kept his whole attention on the brown-haired blue-eyed Agent who was speaking to him right then as he brought something up in a nearby screen: the picture of a young woman, mid-twenties, brunette, with chocolate eyes, and astrophysicist and the woman he loved: Dr. Jane Foster.

"As soon as Loki took the doctor we moved Jane Foster." The Agent, Phil Coulson, was saying. "We've got an excellent observatory in Tromsø. She was asked to consult there very suddenly. Handsome fee, private plane, very remote. She'll be safe."

The girl snorted quietly, knowing that if Jane Foster was anything like Thor described she would be quite put out when learning she'd been sent away, 'for safety'.

"Thank you." Thor nodded, ignoring the snort. "It's no accident Loki taking Erik Selvig. I dread to think what my brother might do to him in his current state of mind."

"Current state of mind?" Phil noticed that.

"I know you haven't had the best of experiences regarding my brother, Son of Coul." Thor stated quietly. "But I beg you to keep an open-mind. Loki is not as you believe him to be..."

"Thor... people change." Somehow, the Agent seemed to want to be careful, to not hurt Thor. "Even those you love..."

"I know you understand not what I speak of." Thor shook his head sadly. "If you had met Loki a few years ago you would know what I mean. My brother, the real Loki, he is nothing like that. He can be cold, and hard, and driven, but he's never cruel. What happened in that other Kingdom, and in your base, all that seems to be going on right now... it's so far from the real him. I fear what might have happened to him to make him act this way..."

"What do you think happened?" Phil was getting progressively interested in the conversation.

By that point, unknown to Thor, Phil wasn't the only one paying attention to him anymore. While they stood need the window-panes showing the dark sky outside the group of would-be heroes the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nicholas Fury, had gathered together had stepped onto the bridge, and they were all attentively listening in to the two.

"Whatever it was, it had to have been terrible." Thor stated grimly.

"Worse..." The girl whispered almost brokenly.

If anyone heard her, no one turned her way, the focus still on the two men.

"Loki... while he's mostly known as the God of Mischief and Lies, there's so much more to him than most realize." The blonde went on, half-lost in the memories. "He's a scholar, a diplomat, a negotiator and a strategist of the highest caliber; not to mention one of the most powerful sorcerers I've seen in my whole life... matter of fact, I know only one who can surpass him for sure, the very person who trained him: our Mother, Queen Frigg."

"I thought Loki was adopted..." Phil commented half-absentmindedly.

"He is, but that matters not, at least not to Mother and I." Thor stated promptly. "His origins, his blood, matter little to either of us. He will always be a Friggason, and my brother. He's saved my life, and that of my friends, and possibly Asgard as a whole, more times than I can count. Even when I was young, and wild, and reckless..."

"And stupid." The girl piped in.

"And stupid..." Thor echoed with a shake of his head. "He always stood by my side. Our whole lives Loki was the one person I never doubted I could count on. And then, the one time he needed me, truly needed me... I wasn't there for him. I let my temper get the best of me, got myself exiled, and I Wasn't There For Him!" He lowered his head, ashamed.

"Neither of us were Thor..." The girl whispered, placing a soft hand on Thor's arm. "But that is a mistake we won't be making twice..."

"I wish you could use your seidhr and get him back..." Thor muttered with a sigh.

"Regretfully, things aren't that simple." She pointed out. "But don't worry, we'll get him back, Loki, and your friend, and the human Agent..."

"That we will sister, that we will..." Thor nodded with renewed conviction.

It seemed to be a gift of hers, to have her optimism rub on him, on anyone around her, really.

"Who are you?" Phil questioned abruptly. "And where did you come from?"

It took the blonde Asgardian a couple of seconds to realize the Son of Coul was talking about the girl by his side and no other. She had dropped her concealing spell at some point, even if she still her her cloak and hood pulled closely around her. Still, she'd been noticed.

More people reacted abruptly as they noticed her, several of the agents reaching for their weapons when seeing an unknown in their midst. Thor himself reacted to that, moving to stand half in front of the small figure.

"It's perfectly alright, brother." She assured him in a soft but strong voice. "No one here is going to do anything rash, right?"

"We won't... though I still want to know where you came from, miss..." A man in jeans and a blue long-sleeved shirt, whom Thor knew to be called Captain America, spoke.

"I came from Asgard with Thor..." The girl told him calmly. "Took a longer route than he did, before getting to this flying fortress of yours, though. Arrived an hour or so ago... you just weren't aware of my presence..."

"Magic?" The redheaded woman seemed half-hesitant half-distrustful.

"Yes." The girl had no hesitation when answering. "A cloaking spell. It allowed me to check on things without being noticed."

"Check on things?" Iron Man, Stark, seemed particularly interested.

"Made a quick trip to Stuttgart to check on matters where Loki was found, make sure everything would be as alright as it could be on that front, especially the doctor who was hurt; then the same for that forest near the border between France and Spain..." She paused, turning to Thor. "I imagine you're the one responsible for that level of destruction?" She shook her head, not waiting to hear a reply. "You need to be more careful, brother mine, if something had happened to you... we have enough trouble as is!"

"I know, sister, I shall be more careful in the future." Thor smiled softly at her. "And I would be grateful if you didn't go around on your own anymore right now. Mother only allowed us to come on our own because I told her I would take care of you..."

"As much as I may love her, this is about Loki Thor, she knows as well as you and I that nothing short of death itself could have stopped me from coming after him the moment I knew, for sure, where he was." Her voice was still soft but lined with steel as she said those words. "And even in death I'm sure I could convince Hel to see things my way..."

"Wait a second, sister?" An Agent with short hair and dressed in black, behind them spoke up. "She's your sister, like Loki is your brother?"

"She's just a child..." Rogers murmured, not liking the idea.

"Well..." Thor seemed not to know how to explain things.

"First of all, I am no child." The young woman spoke strongly.

"My sister is the goddess of devotion!" Thor called with great pride.

The young woman stood to her full height as she pushed back her hood and allowed the cloak to open just enough to show the clothes she wore underneath. Her skin was the lightest rose tone, and she wore a long-bell-sleeved, wide-v-necked, floor-length violet velvet dress with golden embroidery forming a belt and details on the sleeves, golden slippers on her small feet; a silver pendant of a bird in flight hung from her neck on a thin but sturdy chain; her eyes small and hazel colored, her hair long waves of auburn (the length unknown as the hood still half-concealed it); and resting on top of it was an elegant white-gold and cristal tiara.

"My name is Nightingale." She spoke in perfect, unaccented English. "Like Thor said, I am his sister, though not in the way you might believe." She took a deep breath before dropping the bomb. "I am Loki's match and consort."

**xXx Nightingale's POV xXx**

I was seventeen years old when my life was irrevocably changed. Granted, my life had been changed before, several times even and in different ways. First at five years old, when the doctors had finally realized that my seemingly perpetual weakness and constant sickness was actually leukemia; then at nine when I'd, finally, gone into remission. Another change that had taken place already by then was the necessity for me to be home-schooled. Aunt Kathryn had arranged it, for my father was always working.

Those changes had had nothing to do with Loki; no, those had begun a few months after I turned eleven. I'd met him then, first as a young looking raven-haired jade-eyed boy; later on as his real self. I had done my research, of course; by the second time I saw him I knew exactly who he was. Still, I paid no mind to everything negative that was said about him, focusing on the positive, and on reality, on him. He gave me a black jade dizi flute, one of my most precious possessions ever; and a key piece in who I'd grown to be.

We became friends almost right away, and that friendship only grew in the following years. Enough that when, at age eleven, the cancer returned with a vengeance, so badly I should have lived no more than three months after that day... he prevented death from claiming me. Loki, my dearest friend, created a set of bracelets that before had only existed in fiction (actually a novel I'd been reading at the time); he created them, and through them he saved me. Through those bracelets I got enough energy to fight the effects of the cancer in my blood, even if the sickness itself was never truly gone, I was no longer dying from it.

After surviving my second time I went to college, to Norwich University, earned three degrees: in European Literature, History and Mythology and Folklore. I graduated at sixteen and went on to study for my Masters (in all three subjects). I was halfway through the first two (because school policies didn't allow for me to take subjects for all three at the same time); when things changed all over again. And in a way I could have never expected:

It all began when I noticed the dark-haired woman in odd-clothing spying on me; it wasn't the first time I noticed her either. When I told Loki he set up a spell, and we found out it was Sif, she'd been spying on me, on us, for weeks, possibly even months. It was quite easy to guess what she would be doing with that information. I had actually been in the process of convincing myself that everything would be alright (even when a corner of my mind kept screaming that wasn't true at all), when Loki announced he would not allow it.

From all the things I imagined he might try to protect me, I could have never begun to imagine what he actually ended up doing. That morning, after Aunt Kathryn had left for work, Loki went inside the house to look for me. That wasn't exactly strange, neither was it him wanting me to join him in the garden. What left me absolutely shocked was the woman who was sitting on what was obviously a conjured bench, in front of my beloved roses. She was tall, statuesque, with thick curls of golden hair and eyes the color of the clearest sky, and she was wearing a dress of the palest cream color, with 3/4 sleeves, long to the ground and with a straight neckline that showed a hint of her collarbone and shoulders, golden stitching on the hem. She was absolutely beautiful, and I had no need for either her or Loki to explain just who she was...

"Your Majesty..." I whispered, still half in shock, as I dropped into a clumsy curtsy.

It was awful, really, at least I was wearing a skirt.

"Mother..." Loki went to stand by me instantly, holding me by the shoulders as he helped me straighten up. "This is Nightingale, my dearest friend."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, young one." Queen Frigg nodded with a small smile at me.

Still, I could see the confusion in her eyes; I wasn't sure what was throwing her off most: my being so young, a human, or Loki having brought her to Midgard at all...

"You said you needed my help." The Lady stated, looking at her son.

"We do mother, we need your help, most urgently." Loki nodded.

We revealed everything to her, holding nothing back; from our first meeting six years before, to my sickness, the deamarkonian, my studies... to finding Sif spying on me for the third time in two weeks, and then one thing Loki hadn't told me, which explained why Sif had been spying on me: the Allfather knew about me, and he had decided my knowing all I did, my friendship with Loki, went against the laws... his laws. I was to be taken out of the equation. I suspected that meant I was to lose all memories of Loki; my Maverick thought it could mean something much more sinister... it wasn't like Odin, or anyone in Asgard really, cared much about mortals... And even if the plan only had me losing my memories... Loki had been an important part of my life since I was eleven, especially so in the previous three years; I had no idea what would become of me if I were ever to lose all those memories, though I knew it would be nothing good.

When Loki had told me, full of power and conviction, that he would find a way out, a solution to our problem, I couldn't help but believe him, hard as it might have seemed. After all, hadn't he promised to save me when the cancer was killing me, when it should have been impossible? He'd delivered back then, through the creation of the deamarkonian, when there should have been no possible salvation, he'd found one. And so I couldn't help but believe he would find a way, again. And he did. Though I could have never predicted his actions.

The Asgardian Queen seemed both marveled and dismayed (almost in equal amounts too) by the time we were finished with our story.

"We need you Mother..." Loki finished. "I know not how to protect Nightingale without you..."

"I only wish for Loki to be safe." I pointed out with an almost sad smile. "I am willing to make whatever sacrifice is necessary to ensure he's alright." I was beginning to feel his denial, but couldn't allow him to stop me. "I hope you will forgive me if I'm too blunt, Your Majesty but, from what I've seen in Norse Mythology, your husband doesn't strike me as the most merciful man, or even the most fair, especially not where it concerns Loki. So, while I wish for nothing more than to be by his side for as long as I can be... I know that may not be in the cards. If you can promise me he will be alright, then you may do with me as you wish."

I finished my statement by kneeling at the Queen's feet, where she was still sitting on the conjured bench. I knew that, to some, my words might have seemed overly dramatic, exaggeration, unnecessary; but considering the kind of people I was dealing with... also, I meant every single word from the bottom of my heart.

In the end, I won the Queen, somehow. Whether it was my words, Loki's expression as I knelt there, our story, her son's regard for me, or a combination of two or more of those; I still won her over. And, yet again, my life was forever changed.

By the time we finished outlaying the plan (at least the basics of the plan), it was late afternoon already. Loki convinced his mother to stay for an early dinner (as we'd forgotten lunch in between all our talking and planning). I ordered in from a nearby place, a favorite of Loki's: grilled beef, melted cheese with mushrooms and some salad. The Lady Frigg seemed to like it; at the very least she enjoyed sharing the meal with us.

The two left after dinner, while I went to bed. Then, according to plan, the next morning I did everything I could to leave my affairs in order. The last part, the hardest part, took place that night, when Aunt Kathryn got back from her job. It was a concession I'd asked from both Loki and Lady Frigg, even though I knew it might end up complicating matters further, I just couldn't help it, I loved Aunt Kathryn like my own mother, too much to leave without giving her at least some kind of explanation.

Loki arrived halfway through the retelling of my story (an abridged version of it). There was so much I couldn't explain to her, could never begin to tell her (not only because of the danger her knowing would put her in, but also because I did not want her to worry too much about me), but I didn't want to just disappear on her either. It didn't seem fair, to either one of us. My father might have had little to do with my life at that point; especially since he'd remarried and gone to live with his new wife in Europe. Aunt Kathryn was another matter entirely.

We told her just enough. Enough for her to understand who Loki was, even if we never actually said the words (plausible deniability and all that, mostly for her but also for us); most important of all, we told her just enough for her to understand why I would be leaving, that very night in fact... it was part of the plan, it was necessary, the only way to protect me from Odin's plans (whatever they might be).

I could tell Aunt Kathryn didn't like it, not at all. Especially when she understood I wouldn't be returning, not for a while at least, and never for more than visits (if that). But she knew it was for my safety, and not just that. It was something I truly wanted... to be by my Maverick's side. Even when we hadn't spoken about it yet, I knew I loved him, with all my heart and soul, and a part of me was beginning to hope he might feel the same...

The next morning I took my place as Nightingale, Queen Frigg's new handmaiden... a whole new world opened before me then.

A year later my service to the Queen ended, and on the very next day I was announced as Prince Loki's betrothed. At some point during my year as handmaiden Loki and I had finally confessed our feelings to each other (there was some mead involved... and there was a reason why I did not like alcohol before and especially after! At least the results weren't anything bad). There had been a little while, after that night of too much mead, when I'd left Loki's chambers the next morning, still too hungover to realize the image I portrayed in that moment... servants had seen me and rumors had run rampant. When the first whisper of whore reached Loki's ears and he realized exactly who they were talking about... he nearly snapped. The only thing that stopped him was his brother promising to help him eliminate those rumors; and the Queen promising that he could marry me after I was done with my service to her.

So our betrothal was announced the day after I ceased being a handmaiden. I was in what people in Midgard would have described as a goddess-style floor-length, sleeveless, lilac-colored dress when the feast to announce the betrothal took place. I was barely eighteen years old, and it showed; yet we did not care. The Aesir, being full of immortals, did not pay much attention to how young I looked; some did comment on how small I was, some ladies, commenting on how my size might affect my child-bearing. It was something I just didn't want to think about... for the longest time I had given up on the idea of having children, given up on ever reaching a point, an age, when I might want to have them... I just didn't know what to think about it anymore.

The betrothal lasted for several months, as it was royal tradition for weddings to take place in the fall, right after the harvest. And so it did. The wedding lasted a week, and some actually seemed to want to keep the party going.

The very first day, during the actual wedding ceremony, Loki and I made a choice and changed our vows from the usual ones to the ceremonial speech that called on a form of marriage that had become almost mythical even by Asgardian Standards. We called on the Ancient Powers, binding us to each other, body, mind, heart and soul, to the end of time. Some of those present were scandalized, thinking us too young to even understand what we were doing; however, when Lady Frigg, with all her power as Goddess of Marriage, gave her blessing, there was nothing else that could be done. We were married, bound... matched, as Aesir said, and would remain so to the end of time and space (regardless of my mortality).

Then, still following the tradition, my match and I left on our honey-moon. Usually tradition would have had us secluding ourselves in some property, far from the palace and his family to live our first month as a married couple, on our own. He chose a different tactic instead and we left to travel through the realms. I got to see so many things, every world... I even got the chance to visit Midgard briefly, drop in on my aunt for a little while. The most memorable moment, however, was when Loki took me to Helheim, when I got to meet my step-daughter, and she accepted me, not just as her father's wife, but also as her mother... I loved her so much, as if she were my own flesh and blood.

Eventually we had to return, I had duties to take on, as a Princess of Asgard. It was also at that point that people began to truly getting to know me, especially as they realized I was all for staying by Loki's side, whether he was in the library, researching something or other; or talking business with important men from within and without the Realm Eternal, and even the few times he chose to train some. Some people did not seem to like it much, I was just too different from what they considered to be the 'ideal lady'; however, with Loki's and even Thor's and Queen Frigg's support, I endured and eventually began earning their respect (when they realized I had studied and did things right).

I even convinced Loki to help me train some, enough to defend myself at the very least. I learnt some hand to hand, as well as fighting with knives (either in my hands or throwing them), Thor and his friends gifted me with a set of beautiful throwing knives as well as a gorgeous crystal dagger that had a triquetra as its handle (they'd noticed the similar design on my earrings, which I'd mentioned once were an heirloom from my mother). It was also around that time that we discovered that if I focused enough I could call on magic, Loki's magic to be precise and, even more surprising, I could also heal... it took a lot of concentration and energy, but I could do something not even most Aesir could, I could heal without any plants, or elixirs, or such, just magic and my will. No one but the Goddess Eir, goddess of healing could boast of such a gift (and the Queen in a lesser degree). It was that that, finally, earned me my place as a goddess (though my actual title would not come until months afterwards).

A few months more passed, until the day came when Odin made an announcement, one my match and I had known was coming: he declared Thor as his heir, and called a start to the preparations for his coronation, a month later. Things just went to hell after that...

Lost in my duties and my grief I couldn't see how far my beloved was falling, until he was already beyond my reach. Thor might blame himself for letting his temper get the best of him, causing the situation that got him exiled, made him not be around when his brother needed him. But I was there! We still slept in the same bed every night... and I was no help anyway... I was his wife, his match, and still too blind to see how much he needed me. It was a sin I wouldn't forgive me for until my beloved was safe, and sane, back in my arms, and maybe not even then.

When he fell off the broken edge of the Rainbow Bridge I knew, I could feel the void growing in the very center of my heart, threatening to tear it apart, to break my soul into pieces, like glass... my handmaidens say I screamed, dropped to my knees and just screamed, until my throat could take it no more and my voice cut off, even then I didn't move an inch until the exhaustion became too much and I simply dropped unconscious... then I didn't wake for weeks, almost a month.

When I opened my eyes again Thor was there, sitting in a chair by my bedside, so tense I knew instantly he couldn't be asleep. It confused me to realize I wasn't at the healers', but instead in my private quarters, my private sleeping chamber, separate from the one I shared with Loki, the one where I'd actually been sleeping every single night since returning from our honeymoon. It was until later that I learnt the healers hadn't been able to find out what was wrong with me, why I wouldn't wake (things like catatonia, coma, weren't known to them, though I imagined I'd been immersed in something like that), Lady Frigg had been the one to decide to send me back to my own rooms, thinking the familiarity of them might bring me some comfort when I finally woke up. For the most part my handmaidens took care of me in my unconsciousness, but Thor still spent hours just sitting by my bed, watching me.

From the very beginning it had been hard for Thor to understand how Loki and I had come to be together, I knew that. My origins were no secret, they couldn't have been, with the way Queen Frigg took me in; and with how little Aesir thought of mortals, he could not understand what his brother saw in me... still, he respected Loki's choice, and not only that but he'd taken an active role in making sure people respected me, first as one of his mother's handmaidens, later on as his brother's betrothed, and eventually wife, as Thor's own sister... Odin was another matter entirely, but there was nothing any of us could do about that, knowing the Allfather couldn't hurt me was enough for us all.

That lack of understanding changed after Thor's exile, after he himself fell deeply in love with a mortal woman... though I did not learn any of that until later on.

That day, when I finally woke up after weeks lost in my own mind, the mix of horror, grief, pain, despair pushing me under, one word left my lips in a broken whisper...

"Loki..."

The word, whispered and broken as it had been, was still enough to wake Thor, who straightened up so fast a corner of my mind knew he would be feeling the whiplash for that move; the rest just didn't care about it, or about much in that moment; nothing but one thing, in fact...

"Sister..." Thor called quietly, carefully.

He stood from the chair, going to sit on the bed, right beside where I laid, taking a too pale hand in between his own sun-kissed ones.

"I am so sorry, sister mine..." He whispered, caressing my hand slowly. "Loki... he's..."

"Alive..." I finished for him in a sigh.

"No... he..." He began, shaking his head, tears beginning to form in the corners of his eyes.

"He's alive." I interrupted him.

It took me great effort, which showed just how bad my condition actually was, but I managed to raise a hand enough to place it over his lips, stop him from talking; coincidentally (or not) it was my right hand, and my deamarkonian shone on my wrist, reflecting the few rays of sunlight filtering through the closed drapes on my window.

"Loki is not dead, Thor..." I told him slowly and purposefully. "If he were I wouldn't be breathing still. Your brother, my match, still lives..."

He knew my story, our story, what the bracelet on my wrist meant, and my words... the moment everything fully registered in his mind he pulled me off my pillows, crushing me against his chest in am embrace. I didn't mind, despite the tightness, it was still better than the coldness Loki's absence made me feel.

"He's alive..." Thor breathed, voice full of marvel, of hope...

"He is." I nodded, holding onto him as tightly as my half-atrophied muscles would allow. "And we're getting him back."

"That we will, sister mine, that we will." He agreed wholeheartedly.

And thus, our self-imposed mission began.

At first there was little I could do, little either of us could do. We knew that Loki was alive, that as long as I breathed so did he, but we couldn't find him. Not even Heimdall could see into the abyss, and after an argument Thor had had with Odin shortly after my waking up, neither of us trusted the old man much.

Thor never actually told me what was said, between the two of them, though there was enough gossiping around for me to get an idea: Thor had wanted to go searching for his brother through the Realms, and Odin had refused. The man refused to accept that Loki was alive, and when Thor presented the undeniable proof: me, the truth finally came out: the Allfather simply did not care enough. He wanted Thor to focus on his training, on his preparations to be King, instead of his 'fallen brother'... after a long time trying, and failing, to convince him to change his mind, Thor ended the argument rather abruptly, by swearing an oath not to take the throne, ever, unless it was with his brother by his side. To say Odin was displeased would be the understatement of the millennia, but there was nothing that he could do about it, an oath spoken by an Aesir, especially when calling on Higher Powers, like Thor had done when phrasing his, was unchangeable as well as unbreakable. Thor would only be King of Asgard if Loki was by his side, the specifics after that did not matter, only that he was there, and that was that.

I was left breathless when I found out. My handmaidens knew, better than anyone in Asgard but Frigg and Thor, that Loki was far from the disgrace some council members and nobles insisted on portraying him as. Sigyn, my head handmaiden, had once told me that one needed but to take one look at the two of us together to see the true Loki. A caring, courteous, valiant, amazing man... She, all of them really, were some of my greatest supporters in the following year. Especially as I did everything I could to get back into shape after the month unconscious in bed.

The healers insisting on keeping me in bed rest for a full week even after I woke up, worried as they all were about my health; not only for how long I had slept, but the screaming I'd done before falling unconscious and... other things that had happened before that awful day. Then I spent several weeks doing the Asgardian equivalent of physical therapy before I could stand and walk properly again. It was a long, arduous process. What none but Thor knew was that it wasn't just because of how my body how weakened during those four weeks, but also because of Loki... something terrible was happening to him, bad enough that the deamarkonian was draining me to help him, instead of the other way around; it meant that, in that moment, I was the strongest of the two... it broke me inside to realize that.

Still I pushed, hard, more than most wanted me to; no one but Thor understood my drive, and at times even he thought I was pushing myself too hard. Almost three months after Thor's failed coronation, after everything had gone to hell, I was finally doing well enough to go back into actual fighting training.

Thankfully, all the exercises I had done the previous weeks to get fit again made it relatively easy to get back to my throwing knives; my accuracy was still as good as ever (except when some phantom pain or other assaulted hard and fast enough to distract me). Direct combat, whether in hand-to-hand or with blades was another thing entirely. Thor tried to help me, but there was only so much he could do, he did not know how to fight with short blades, and his size made him too afraid of taking me seriously in full-body combat. His over-protectiveness also meant that the Warriors Three didn't dare try too hard either.

That particular day I was especially frustrated. I wasn't getting any better, and without a proper trainer I did not know what to do. I was in what Thor playfully called my battle attire. After Loki had fallen I'd decided to take over some of his duties, mostly diplomatic ones; deciding I looked too much like a child on my usual dress I had changed styles; the gown was created by the Queen's personal seamstress, from the softest most perfect shade of violet velvet; the top was snug with a v-neckline, wide enough to show my collarbone but without being improper, the sleeves her long, tight to the elbows and then bell-like, and the skirt was loose and comfortable, reaching to the ground and dragging a few inches; my waist was marked by golden stitching forming a sort of sash-like design; the same style that was repeated in the halfway point of my sleeves; golden slippers and my usual jewelry, consisting of my mother's triquetra earrings, the deamarkonian bracelet, the nightingale pendant (Loki's wedding gift to me) and the white-gold and crystal tiara were the finishing touches of my formal ensemble.

My 'battle attire' consisted of a plum colored riding dress that reached a few inches above my knees; the cloth had spells woven in it, to keep me warm or cool as was needed, and to be more durable than normal cloth (as strong as chainmail, but still flexible). I also wore dark leggings, an aketon around my torso, braces on my forearms, dark reinforced leather boots and finger-less gloves to make handling my knives both easier and safer. The final touch consisted of a dozen knives strapped to various parts of my body.

Thor had given up on my training for the day, though I refused to call it quits just yet. So I was standing on the mats, going through katas as fluidly as I could. I had just finished one and was mostly focused on catching my breath when suddenly I heard a noise I knew well, the sound of the wind being cut by a body in motion. I reacted instinctively, dropping to my knees, head down, going into a roll in the next second, before turning around with a knee on the ground and one arm defensively, while with the other I reached a knife in one of my boots. My ears were ringing, my blood pumping with adrenaline, and all my senses seemed to be heightened.

It was until I stopped moving that I realized what had happened exactly. Standing in front of me was none other than Sif, in her own battle attire. My dropping to my knees had allowed me to evade the spinning kick she'd directed at me upon arrival, while my rolling had gotten me out of the way of the rest of her; she was still on one knee, punch buried in the mats where I'd been standing less than a handful of seconds before.

"What's the meaning of this?" Thor reacted immediately. "Sif!"

I needed only to see Sif to understand that the confrontation needed to happen, for both of us.

"Do not get involved in this, Thor." I instructed him as I got on my feet slowly. "I think it's high time Sif and I resolved our differences..."

"Sister..." Thor whispered slowly.

He never called me Nightingale, always sister, he knew that the last time someone had it had caused a flashback... truth be told hardly anyone had ever called me that, except Loki...

"This needs to happen, brother." I told him softly, willing him to understand the need burning inside me. "Do not try to interfere... and the same goes to your friends."

He didn't like it, but he respected me too much to insist. So he just sat back down, the Warriors Three at his sides.

"So you want to fight me then?" Sif inquired, looking at me almost predatory.

"You are the one who tried to attack me when my back was turned." I reminded her blankly. "If anyone is instigating a fight here, that's you."

"Indeed..." He didn't bother trying to deny it. "Think you can take me, do you?"

"I guess we're about to find out." I decided.

Nothing else was decided, there was no further need for words. I stood my ground as Sif came at me, preparing myself mentally for what was coming. It still wasn't enough. I felt my arm rattle as I blocked the first punch; yet before I could finish recovering my breath was stolen with a kick to my stomach and a second later I found myself on the ground, gasping.

"Sister!" Thor cried out in worry.

"Stay... where you are Thor..." I managed to gasp out, waving a hand in his direction.

After a handful of seconds more recovering my breath I pushed myself off the ground and back on my feet. I didn't stay there very long.

After I hit the mats for the third time I had to actually take a few seconds to breathe and think... and then I remembered.

"_You need to stop thinking love..." Loki had told me once, a few days into my basic training, when noticing that even when I understood things, I just didn't react fast enough; turned out I was over-thinking things. "It's a problem people like you and I have when training to fight. We just think too much. We're so used to thinking so hard, practically all the time. But fighting is not about thinking, the opposite in fact. Fighting is about instinct. It's true you need to know certain things, it's why we train, why I teach you... but once you have to truly fight, you need to think less and use your instincts more." He smiled. "Everyone has instincts, self-preservation. And if you know what to do, your instincts will push you to do it at the right moment. You just need to make use of those instincts..." _

I did not say a word, there was no need. Instead I took a deep, cleansing breath, then forced myself to my feet. I could hear the mumbles of 'princess', from the Warriors Three, and 'sister' from Thor, but I ignored them all. In that moment I needed not to think.

"Are you sure you want to get up?" Sif asked in a half-mocking tone.

I did not answer, doing so required effort, focus, and I had other things I needed to think about, or not think about, as the case might be.

I stood on guard, an arm folded in front of me defensively, the other held half back, ready to counter; one foot was straight on the ground, while the other was only half down, ready to either move forward, spin-around, or any other move I might need to do.

Sif went against me with the same combo she'd been using from the beginning; except instead of trying to block her punch, I twisted slightly and bent just enough to dodge her arm. An instant later I spun around and stepped to a side, finishing the move by dropping to my knees and bowing my head barely managing to clear the two kicks. Sif was so surprised I'd managed to avoid all the attacks she didn't straighten up fast enough; in a moment I raised both arms, taking hold of her ankle, then I forced my legs to move, jumping onto my feet with enough speed and strength I managed to pull Sif's leg. While I might not have been strong or even tall enough to pull such a move effectively most of the time, Sif was caught enough by surprise that she didn't react in time; she just hit the ground hard.

Silence was the only response to my move.

"What in hell was that?!" Sif demanded as she hurried back to her feet.

"Instinct..." I replied almost cheekily. "And some instruction in jujitsu... it's a Midgardian martial art I read about once... Loki learnt enough about it to teach it to me. It's ideal for people small and with less than average physical strength..."

"Do you really think tricks created by some Midgardians will allow you to defeat me?" Sif hissed in a very condescending manner.

"Maybe, maybe not." I shrugged even as I got back into position. "Doesn't mean I'm giving up. So, are we gonna fight, or what?"

I didn't defeat her that day, or week, or month... but I didn't give up either, I never did; and when she defeated me eventually, hard enough I was too tired to continue, I at least was sure I'd made her earn that victory.

At some point the fight from that day became a training session, and it was just the first of many more. I couldn't train ever day, not with all the duties I was taking on; but we took to training together at least twice a week. Training that only got more interesting when we added daggers, and then when I began using magic... We weren't friends, we would never be; but somehow, between fights and some heated arguments we managed to put our differences behind.

Aside from that I still had other duties to attend to; though at least I had Thor's backing for those; he'd begun studying history, diplomacy, and other things, things he'd ignored when his tutors had tried teaching them to him; he chose to learn then, knowing that I truly needed the support. I also made sure not to let anyone forget that, while we may be doing things in that moment, it was still Loki's place, I was still his wife.

Then, what felt almost like a lifetime later, a message came from Heimdall...

"_Prince Loki has been found..."_

The fact that the message came from him rather than Odin, when there was no doubt he must know as well, was telling. The Allfather didn't plan on telling us. Still, Thor and I didn't say a word, silently beginning our preparations for a trip to Midgard, it's not like we needed anyone's help, I knew enough of Shadow Walking, and Thor trusted me enough to get us both to Midgard safe and sound.

Then, on the fifth day, Odin summoned Thor. I wasn't called, but as we'd been together, making our final preparations, I went anyway. The Allfather wanted to send me away, but Thor insisted that I stay, and I chose to ignore the old man (it wasn't the first time I did so, anyway). I knew Odin did not like me, if it were up to him he would have sent me away the day after Loki's fall from the bridge, most likely without my memories too! Still, I had Thor's protection, and Lady Frigg's; and somehow, in the last year, I had managed to gain the backing of Thor's friends and diplomats from all the realm... I had enough people in my corner that Odin wouldn't risk trying to get rid of me. And once Loki was back I knew that, together, we would be able to deal with everything and anything that came our way.

"Asgard needs you." Odin stated in his usual pompous tone. "The balance has shifted and you will need to go to Midgard to set it right."

"I am always ready to serve Asgard." Thor answered almost automatically.

By the hint of a smile on his face I could guess he was getting his hopes up, that his father might have good intentions regarding Loki, I wasn't thus tricked.

"The mortals have found the Tesseract." Odin's next sentence proved me right, as well as giving us all a reason for his summons. "I know not how long they've had it, or what they might have done thus far, but a relic of such power should not be left in the hands of lesser beings."

I was almost completely sure that was a jibe at me... Odin was petty like that, had been since the day he realized his opinion was being completely ignored and there was nothing he could do to stop Loki marrying me, and me becoming a Princess of Asgard. I was quite sure he would have gone as far as disavowing his youngest son right there and then if he'd only had an excuse... and by the time he had it, Lady Frigg and Thor were refusing to just bow to his decisions anymore. So there was nothing he could do.

"The Tesseract?" Thor blurted out.

He knew of course, we both did. Fact was, I'd spent most of the last five days turning the Royal library upside down reading every and any piece concerning the Tesseract, the Mind Gem and eventually the Infinity Stones, that I could get my hands on. The Royal Librarian had tried to curtail me at first, using as excuse that most of the texts concerning such topics were in ancient languages, I told him that if I needed help I would ask for it... yet I never did.

I'm quite sure he spent at least three days waiting for me to move past my 'pride' and admit I couldn't read a thing. What he did not know was just how many languages I was fluent in... and as it turned out, what Asgard considered Ancient Languages was just Old Norse, Old English, Gaelic, and something close enough to Latin I could make out enough of it to cross-reference with the other texts at least.

The research didn't only allow me to learn a lot about the exceedingly powerful objects known as the Infinity Stones, and Asgard's own Ancient History (a lot of which refuted the theory of Asgardians being immortal, instead putting them as being extremely long lived (like, lives measured in millennia rather than in decades, but still); I also learnt more than I could have ever imagined about the supposedly mythical 'Thanos'. I had a feeling about him, as all but the oldest texts, the ones only the best scholars were supposed to be able to read, marked him as mythical, as not-real, and if I was right... not only in my assumption in that area, but also in the theory that was beginning to form in my mind regarding my beloved's time lost in the abyss and the sudden appearance on Earth carrying a staff holding precisely one of said Infinity Stones... if I was right the shit was going to hit the fan and there was no way anyone, in Asgard or Midgard, would be ready for it in time.

"It is your mission to go to Midgard and recover the artifact." Odin went on. "It will be safe in our Weapon's Vault."

The bastard spoke as if he had everything under control... he had no idea.

"My lord?" No one was expecting it when Sif spoke up. "How did you become aware that the Tesseract was there? Did something happen?"

Thor and I had never meant for anyone to know what we were doing, but it was hard for someone not to find out when we had completely broken routine for the last five days straight! To our surprise, not only had Thor's friends not ratted us out, they'd even helped us, in any way they could (which wasn't much, but the thought at least counted).

"The circumstances are unimportant..." Odin began.

I couldn't help the snort. Did the man really believe it would make a difference if he did not say it? Forgetting for a second the fact that we already knew it; how did he think Loki would react when seeing his brother on Midgard while on the mission? Maybe the fact that he'd never truly been a father made him prone to stupidity when it came to judging the reactions people with normal, good, feelings regarding family had.

Odin turned to look my way at the snort, it looked like he was about to snap at me (like he'd done so many times before, not like it ever meant a thing to me), when suddenly Thor seemed to be unable to hold himself back anymore.

"So my brother is unimportant then?" The blonde snapped. "I am supposed to ignore the fact that it was he who took the Tesseract from the Midgardians' hands and is currently holding onto it? What did you think would happen when I arrived to the realm and found him there? That I would just ignore him in favor of your mission?"

"Yes, because you have a mission!" Odin practically growled.

"And Loki is my brother!" Thor roared back.

"He is not!" Odin denied.

"He may not be your son, you might never have loved him as one, but he is my brother, and will always be." Thor seemed to ponder on something for a second before adding. "And truth be told, if you're not my brother's father, then you're not mine either."

That certainly left Odin in absolute shock.

Thor, in turn, ignored him and went to stand by me.

"Shall we, sister?" He asked me softly.

"We shall, brother." I nodded with a smile, taking his hand.

"She was not included in this!" Odin hissed. "I am in need of someone who will do a service for Asgard, not lose valuable time and resources in a lost cause!"

"The only lost cause here is you, Allfather..." I couldn't help but mutter.

"I remember not asking for permission." Thor added promptly. "Nightingale and I will go, we will save Loki... and maybe get the Tesseract in the process."

"You would refuse a service to Asgard?!" Odin tried to guilt-trip his son.

"Odin, stop it!" Lady Frigg finally demanded. "What you believe is so wrong about Thor and Nightingale wanting to save Loki I will never know, but these are my children we are talking about, and I will not have you treat them like they're any less than the amazing people they are! You might choose not to see them as yours, but they're still mine, and if you insist on pressing and insulting them as you have thus far I will remind you why Loki is only the second best Sorcerer in all the Realms!"

"I will not help you in your foolish quest." Odin sneered at us. "I am in need of someone willing to serve Asgard, not go in a fool's errand."

"Whoever said we needed your help?" I asked him with my most wicked smile (which I'd learnt from my love). "The only reason we are still standing here is because there was no way we were going into the mess that is brewing back there blind! Which, might I add, was pretty much what you were planning on doing to Thor! I've spent the last five days researching, making sure I know what might come, and all the ways things could possibly go wrong."

"That still doesn't explain how you think you can get to another realm, the Bifrost is still broken, and even you, with all your mysteries, cannot bring it back." Odin reminded me petulantly.

"No, though I have a feeling Thor knows someone who just might." I couldn't help the jibe, I knew it was unnecessary, but my nerves were too frazzled to think much about it. "However, that's so not the point right now. For I need not, have never needed really, the Rainbow Bridge to travel through realms. Did you really believe, Allfather, that with everything Loki was already teaching me, he wouldn't make sure I knew how to travel in the same manner he does?" I didn't wait for him to get through the shock. "I can both Shadow Walk and travel the Hidden Roads. So, your oh-so-secret plan to either lock me up or send me away as soon as my protectors got distracted wouldn't work anyway. You will never be able to keep me from where I want to be, and who I want to be with."

That shut Odin thoroughly, he wasn't expecting it. My abilities regarding inter-dimensional travel were something of a hidden-ace I'd been holding for the best occasion; I probably could have kept it to myself longer, but the situation had pushed my hand.

"Lord Heimdall, Lady Sif, Warriors Three..." I called with all the authority I could imbue my voice with, looking at each of them in turn.

"Yes, Princess Nightingale?" They called back, completely respectful.

"Thor and I shall be going to Midgard to recover the two Infinity Stones and save Loki." I informed them seriously.

"Rescue?" Sif inquired, though there was no doubt or contempt in her voice, she'd really changed since a particular conversation of ours, months before.

"The owner of the Chitauri, the monster who wishes to collect the Infinity Stones." I qualified. "He's using my match. I know not if there is magic, or some other kind of persuasion involved, but it cannot be good."

"The moment Loki ceases being of use to him..." Fandral broke off abruptly, understanding the severity of the situation.

On the dais, the Queen let out a broken sob.

"We won't let it come to that." Thor stated with complete confidence. "I promise you Mother, we will get Loki back, safe and sound."

For all answer the Queen rushed to us, kissing our brows and placing a hand on each of us.

"You have my blessing." She told us in a very heart-felt tone. "Go now, may the Higher Powers aid you in your quest, may our family be protected from all evil."

We nodded, were about to leave when Heimdall called to us.

"If I may inquire, Princess." He said. "Have you been able to infer, through your research, who is behind this move?"

Heimdall was a particular character. While we hadn't exactly been friends upon first arrival, and he especially disliked the fact that Loki insisted on keeping me occluded from his sight even after everyone learnt about my existence; the fact that I was, quite possibly, the only person besides the Queen, and more recently Thor, who treated him as a normal man, had helped.

At least once a week I would take my horse (a gorgeous white-silver mare, gift from Thor) all the way through the main part of Asgard and down the Rainbow Bridge, to where Heimdall stood, guarding the Realms day in and day out. There I would step beside him, and look at the stars; for hours on end. Most days we wouldn't speak, just standing there in companionable silence, offering him some of my snacks (usually chocolate covered fruit) when I had them; sometimes we talked of nothing in particular; and on some, special days, I would sit down with my legs off the edge of the bridge, take out my flute and play simple melodies. He seemed to appreciate my company; the fact that I was one of very few people who visited him without any questions or wish for personal gain, I was just there.

"I think you might have an idea already." I told him with a sigh, looking straight at his eyes, so like the stars he guarded over. "After all, you're one of less than a handful of people, in this very room, who know, has always known, that he is real and not some myth..."

"The Mad Titan..." Heimdall breathed, in a tone that made it clear that the very idea was all his fears being made true...

"Thanos..." I confirmed.

Thor and I left the Throne Room before the chaos of the mix of horror, disbelief, and more could fully overcome the shock of the initial revelation. Lady Frigg followed us, she'd already known what we were doing, had been the first one we'd told. She'd gotten me a healer's pack, even though I never finished my training as one and therefore had no actual authority to carry one (they were packs magicked to allow us access to any plant, root, elixir, stone and any other healing supplies). Aside from that I was keeping my 'battle attire' and all the blades except my crystal dagger in a pocket-space (Loki had taught me) so I would be able to change clothes in a second with a simple spell; my main dagger was, as always, in a special sheathe concealed in the folds of my dress. I also decided to wear my cloak, as I didn't want people to truly see me until I was well and ready for it.

Then, with just stepping into the closest shadow, we were off.

We stepped out of the shadows somewhere in Europe, as I decided to use my match as an anchor when deciding where to exit the Shadow Paths. It wasn't easy, we'd actually spent longer in there than I'd originally planned, as I kept having to change our route so as not to be noticed by Thanos (at least I found a relatively easy spell that allowed me to 'sense' where he was looking), because something told me that no occluding spell would be enough to conceal us from the Mad Titan if he managed to find us that soon.

Almost as soon as we were properly in Midgard both Thor and I could sense my love. I could also perceive the trail his magic had left behind, so I told Thor to follow him while I checked what had happened and, if possible, did some damage control. There was also the fact that I didn't want my brother to realize how much our journey through the Shadow Plane had exhausted me. Which is why it had taken me a full twenty-four hours to join him on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s flying fortress even though, technically, I'd only made two stops along the way.

It was easy, though not without pain, to follow the trail of seidhr that, to someone like I, seemed to spell out my beloved's name in every language I knew. And it was once I got to the first stop, that I realized the situation was a lot more complex than I'd originally imagined, for while there was a man missing an eye... the fatal casualties were less than a handful, and none in the House of Art, where my husband had been.

And it wasn't only that; with some effort I'd managed to find several men who had been admitted into a local hospital with what was enlisted as puncture wounds caused by bolts... yet of those the ones who had died (two, and one was still in very delicate condition and not yet out of danger) had died from broken necks, due to falling from certain heights... No one had been murdered straight out... it took great effort to hold back the hope of the implications of such decisions having been made, such orders being given.

In the end I'd helped the injured where I could without being noticed. Managed to save the man with the broken neck, it was unlikely he would ever fully recover, but he was alive; the doctor's eye was completely lost, but I was able to seal the wound easily enough and aside from the eye he would make a full recovery in relatively short time. The others were even easier.

The moment I arrived to the base the Agents called 'helicarrier' I went straight to where I could sense my love. A sort of pained joy filled me then; pain at seeing him in such condition, not just his incarceration, but also how weary, drained, hurt he looked; yet joy at the mere fact of seeing him standing there, alive... I might have always known beyond a shadow of doubt that he was, in fact, still breathing... but I also had more than just a basic idea of what he'd gone through in the very long, very tiring year we'd spent apart...

Thor reacted minutely, in a way only I actually noticed, the moment I stepped out of his shadow and into the helicarrier's bridge. I knew why too, anyone with even the slightest awareness of magic and the supernatural in general felt sort-of goosebumps when I did something like that (using their shadows to get into or out of the Shadow Paths), it was why I tended to avoid doing so, unless I it was necessary... Still, he said not a word, knowing I would reveal myself when I wanted; instead he kept the majority of his attention on the brown-haired blue-eyed Agent who was speaking to him right then as he brought something up in a nearby screen: the picture of a young woman, probably mid-to-late twenties, brunette, with chocolate eyes... I knew who she was even before seeing the data enlisted beside the picture, Thor had told me enough about her; the woman he'd fallen in love with during his exile in Midgard, the whole reason he finally understood how Loki and I could be so much in love with one another, the woman who had made him grow, become the man Loki and I always knew he could be (even if we would have preferred it happened in different circumstances): Dr. Jane Foster.

"As soon as Loki took the doctor we moved Jane Foster." The Agent, whom I knew to be called Phil Coulson, was saying. "We've got an excellent observatory in Tromsø. She was asked to consult there very suddenly. Handsome fee, private plane, very remote. She'll be safe."

I snorted quietly, knowing that if Jane Foster was anything like Thor described her she would be quite put out when learning she'd been sent away, 'for safety'. I knew I would.

"Thank you." Thor nodded, ignoring the snort. "It's no accident Loki taking Erik Selvig. I dread to think what my brother might do to him in his current state of mind."

"Current state of mind?" Phil noticed that.

"I know you haven't had the best of experiences regarding my brother, Son of Coul." Thor stated quietly. "But I beg you to keep an open-mind. Loki is not as you believe him to be..."

"Thor... people change." The Agent spoke slowly, carefully, as if not wanting to hurt Thor. "Even those you love..."

"I know you understand not what I speak of." Thor shook his head sadly. "If you had met Loki a few years ago you would know what I mean. My brother, the real Loki, he is nothing like that. He can be cold, and hard, and driven, but he's never cruel. What happened in that other Kingdom, and in your base, all that seems to be going on right now... it's so far from the real him. I fear what might have happened to him to make him act this way..."

"What do you think happened?" Phil was getting progressively interested in the conversation.

By that point everyone on the bridge, Agents and would-be-heroes were eavesdropping on the conversation and not even trying to hide it; Thor might not have noticed it, but I did.

"Whatever it was, it had to have been terrible." Thor stated grimly.

"Worse..." What I had told him was next to nothing compared to what I knew... and I was sure even less compared to reality.

No one could hear me, obviously, but it was also at that point that I decided it was as good a time as any to reveal myself, and began to slowly lower my concealing spell (it would be a short while before anyone actually saw me, but still).

"Loki... while he's mostly known as the God of Mischief and Lies, there's so much more to him than most realize." My brother went on, half-lost in the memories. "He's a scholar, a diplomat, a negotiator and a strategist of the highest caliber; not to mention one of the most powerful sorcerers I've seen in my whole life... matter of fact, I know only one who can surpass him for sure, the very person who trained him: our Mother, Queen Frigg."

"I thought Loki was adopted..." Phil commented half-absentmindedly.

My eyes narrowed at that, it was quite obvious just who had revealed that, and I wasn't sure I liked it, some things were just too personal to be shared with people we didn't even know... on the other hand, I still remembered enough of the studies I'd taken before leaving for Asgard and had to accept that if they'd read enough Norse Mythology Loki's true origins weren't exactly a secret; as much as the Norse might have gotten wrong (and there was so much of that it was baffling), that was something that, somehow, they'd managed to get right...

"He is, but that matters not, at least not to Mother and I." Thor stated promptly. "His origins, his blood, matter little to either of us. He will always be a Friggason, and my brother. He's saved my life, and that of my friends, and possibly Asgard as a whole, more times than I can count. Even when I was young, and wild, and reckless..."

"And stupid." I couldn't help but add my two cents.

"And stupid..." Thor echoed with a shake of his head. "He always stood by my side. Our whole lives Loki was the one person I never doubted I could count on. And then, the one time he needed me, truly needed me... I wasn't there for him. I let my temper get the best of me, got myself exiled, and I Wasn't There For Him!" He lowered his head, ashamed.

"Neither of us were Thor..." I whispered softly, placing a soft hand on Thor's arm. "But that is a mistake we won't be making twice..."

It was something a part of me would always make me hate myself for... but self-loathing wouldn't get us anywhere, either of us, so we had to move on...

"I wish you could use your seidhr and get him back..." Thor muttered with a sigh.

"Regretfully, things aren't that simple." I pointed out. "But don't worry, we'll get him back, Loki, and your friend, and the human Agent..."

"That we will sister, that we will..." Thor nodded with renewed conviction.

He was so positive... granted, so was I usually, but sometimes it was hard; sometimes I had trouble believing my own words. And yet, at the same time, him accepting them so easily, renewing his own determination like that, it helped reinforce my own.

"Who are you?" Phil questioned abruptly. "And where did you come from?"

It was then I realized my spell had finally finished falling, they'd noticed me... though I was still wearing the hooded cloak, so it wasn't like they could actually, fully see me just yet. The Agent's words seemed to be enough to make others react, as several of them reached for their weapons. I didn't worry at all, it's not like I was defenseless... still, Thor's reaction was exactly as I expected, as he went to stand protectively before me.

"It's perfectly alright, brother." I assured him in my most calming voice. "No one here is going to do anything rash, right?"

They better not, we so did not have time for another ridiculous confrontation between ourselves, we were all supposed to be on the same side after all...

"We won't... though I still want to know where you came from, miss..." The Captain, Steve Rogers, Captain America, dressed in civilian clothes, spoke.

If there was a man who baffled me, it was him. I knew about Captain America, probably more than most civilians did, thanks to the fact that my aunt had worked for fifteen years for the government; one of the projects she'd been involved in was the seemingly never-ending search for Captain America. They hadn't found him when she was still there, apparently they had at some point afterwards.

Aunt Kathryn might have never known the man, but she'd worked with people who had, her direct superior in particular was a legend in her own right, with and without the Captain: Special Agent Margaret 'Peggy' Carter... It was shocking to see such a legend standing in front of me. And when one considered I had no trouble standing side by side with gods and being called one myself... maybe I'd gone more than a bit crazy in the last few years...

"I came from Asgard with Thor..." I managed to gather my wits in record time to answer him as calmly as I could. "Took a longer route than he did, before getting to this flying fortress of yours, though. Arrived an hour or so ago... you just weren't aware of my presence..."

"Magic?" The redheaded woman dressed all in black, obviously an Agent (probably assassin), seemed half-hesitant half-distrustful.

"Yes." I nodded, choosing to ignore her threatening stance. "A cloaking spell. It allowed me to check on things without being noticed."

"Check on things?" Iron Man, Stark, seemed particularly interested.

"Made a quick trip to Stuttgart to check on matters where Loki was found, make sure everything would be as alright as it could be on that front, especially the doctor who was hurt; then the same for that forest near the border between France and Spain..." I didn't try to explain what I'd done exactly, knowing it might be too much for them; instead I turned to address Thor. "I imagine you're the one responsible for that level of destruction?" I did not even wait for a reply. "You need to be more careful, brother mine, if something had happened to you... we have enough trouble as is!"

I didn't want to even imagine what Lady Frigg might say!

"I know, sister, I shall be more careful in the future." Thor smiled softly at her. "And I would be grateful if you didn't go around on your own anymore right now. Mother only allowed us to come on our own because I told her I would take care of you..."

"As much as I may love her, this is about Loki Thor, she knows as well as you and I that nothing short of death itself could have stopped me from coming after him the moment I knew, for sure, where he was." I reminded him calmly but strongly. "And even in death I'm sure I could convince Hel to see things my way..."

"Wait a second, sister?" An Agent with short hair and dressed in black behind us spoke up. "She's your sister, like Loki is your brother?"

"She's just a child..." Rogers murmured, not liking the idea.

I bristled inside at the comment, even used as I was to people underestimating me both because of my size and my origins...

"Well..." Thor truly did not seem to know how to explain things.

"First of all, I am no child." I stated directly, wanting to clarify that first of all.

"My sister is the goddess of devotion!" Thor called with great pride.

I half wanted to roll my eyes at the use of my title; however, a part of me liked it, not necessarily because I was being addressed as a goddess in my own right, but because of the implications made by being called goddess of 'devotion' of all things. Still, I needed to give the right image, so I held back the eye rolling and instead stood straight at the same time I pushed back my hood revealing my face, hair, and the tiara sitting upon my head; while at the same time allowing the front of my cloak to open just enough to show my formal dress.

"My name is Nightingale." I introduced myself in my strongest voice. "Like Thor said, I am his sister, though not in the way you might believe." I knew the next part of the declaration would bring chaos, but I did not care (with my husband being who he was, it was probably expected of me!). "I am Loki's match and consort."

As expected, it was absolute chaos the moment I revealed that part; what I could have never imagined was just who broke that chaos, and in what way...

"Silbhé?" A voice called from the upper level of the bridge.

I reacted instantly, turning to find a woman standing right by Fury; she was of average height, with short brunette hair and dark blue eyes; she was dress in a dark skirt-suit with pantyhose and heels. I recognized her instantly.

"Aunt Kathryn!" I called brightly.

In no time she pushed past Fury and down the stairs to the level where Thor and I were, taking a second to push down Phil's hand (where he had his gun); I moved to reach her and we were soon embracing tightly (I hadn't seen her in more than a year!).

"How have you been, darling?" She asked in a soothing voice.

The last time we'd spoken I'd been such a mess, in many ways... with a grief I'd been carrying over beforehand only having multiplied with Loki's loss. Aunt Kathryn had given me the metaphorical kick I needed to force myself to push forward. I might have lost so much in a relatively short time, but most of those didn't need to stay lost, my love certainly did not. I was going to find him, get him back, no matter the cost.

"I am well enough, auntie." I assured her with a kiss on the cheek. "Things will be better once he's back by my side..."

"The moment I saw the agents bringing him in I knew you couldn't be far behind." She stated with an understanding smile.

"You were right, of course." I nodded, finally stepping back. "It's good to see you again, auntie; even if it's under this circumstances."

"Sister!" Thor called approaching us. "You know this lady?"

"I do." I smiled at him. "This is my Aunt Kathryn, and as good as my mother... Auntie, this is Thor, Loki's brother... and mine as well."

"Pleased to meet you, Thor." Kathryn smiled at him immediately.

"The pleasure is all mine, my lady." Thor took her hand, kissing it. "It brings me joy to meet a member of the family of my dear sister, even if the situation is far from positive."

We probably could have gone on with the pleasantries for longer, but Fury, Nicholas Fury, the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., just had to interrupt right then:

"I believe you told us your niece had gone to Europe years ago..." He declared in what was obviously a dissatisfied tone.

"I was hardly going to tell you that she'd left for another dimension because she was in love with a god-prince!" My aunt practically snorted. "Besides, her leaving was a personal matter, in no way connected to you Nicholas, or this organization."

"It has everything to do with this organization." Fury retorted. "Your niece married a man from another world. A man who is right now a criminal and our prisoner, I might add! Silbhé Salani left three years ago, according to the records; if you had told us the truth then we would have known about Asgard, about the risks our world was in, we might have been able to prevent the mess that took place in New Mexico!"

"Oh no!" She spun around to glare at the man in the upper level. "You are so not blaming that one on me Nicholas Fury! I remember telling you quite clearly that it was a bad idea to try and take control of the 084 when you sent that scientific team to study it. I also remember telling you it reminded me of Thor's Hammer in Norse Mythology, you downright refused to even consider the possibility, instead wanting to blame it on Stark! Or the X-Men! Or even Reed Richards! Who, might I remind you, has been retired, along with the rest of his team, for years!"

"You still should have told us..." Fury insisted, almost petulantly.

"Please!" I interrupted, unable to handle it anymore. "Stop it already! You're beginning to remind me of Odin and I can hardly stand the guy on the best of days!"

"Isn't he... well, kind of your father-in-law?" Rogers inquired, confused.

"Can hardly be called a father-in-law when he's never been a father." I said quite bluntly. "Any of you ever read Norse Mythology?"

Several of them nodded.

"Either of you noticed the way Odin acts, and more precisely, the way he treats others, especially Loki?" I asked next.

I distinctly heard at least Stark curse. The others nodded slowly.

"The Norse might have gotten a lot of it wrong, taken some incredibly strange liberties when writing some things." I elaborated. "But that, at least, they got right."

"Children?" Stark piped up right then, with a half-mischievous grin.

"Only Hel." I replied, knowing what must be running to his mind. "She is, as myth tells, the Queen of the Dead, ruling Helheim, got to visit shortly and meet her after my wedding to Loki; she's accepted me as her stepmom. Sleipnir, Jörmungandr and Fenrir are creatures of great power and magical origins that my match cares greatly for, however they are in no way related to him. Whoever else you might have read about does not exist."

"Sigyn?" Rogers just couldn't help himself, he was intrigued.

"My head-handmaiden." I answered with a smile, knowing why he was interested. "Also one of the few true friends my love has."

"You can continue your debates about mythology another time, right now I wish to know what you expect to achieve by coming here." He looked directly at me as he asked the question.

I knew why he wondered, Thor was a Warrior, that was easy to understand, and Fury (believed) he could work with that. I, however, was a wild-card, my size made him believe I couldn't be a fighter, my obviously human origins had to confuse him further, but my connection to Loki was enough to set him on edge; also, the fact that no one had been aware of my presence either in their helicarrier or the planet as a whole until I willed it made him realize I had power, and I just might decide to use it in a way that did not benefit him.

"I believe I've said it before, quite possibly more than once." I declared seriously. "I am here to get my match back."

"Your match, as you insist on calling him, is responsible for over eighty deaths in the last six days." Fury retorted harshly.

"The only fatalities in Stuttgart were of those who fell from high heights." I pointed out with the same intensity. "Even the doctor did not die. Which means Loki did not kill, nor ordered anyone killed. You're trying to pin on him the deaths of those who were in your S.H.I.E.L.D. facility when it collapsed, but that wasn't actually his fault; that catastrophe happened because you were messing with forces you cannot begin to comprehend!"

"And you do?" He challenged.

"More than you certainly." I replied promptly "Not only do I have several degrees on such topics, but I also spent five days reading everything Asgard has on the topic. You found the Cube and began playing with it, with not even the slightest idea of the kind of forces you were unleashing. Truth is, the catastrophe of last Wednesday would have happened whether Loki had been here or not; it might have even happened faster, and harsher, as there would have been no one to diffuse energy with the creation of an actual portal, or to take the Tesseract away and therefore take away an energy source that would have made the destruction exponentially worse!"

"What about the alien army Thor has told us is coming?" Phil inquired.

"They're called the chitauri." I began explaining everything I'd found about them, which wasn't that much really. "We believe they were once the inhabitants of a realm that was lost ages ago; somehow they managed to evolve enough to survive in the abyss; however, they are little more than cattle to someone much more powerful: Thanos."

"And that is?" Fury obviously didn't like long speeches.

"Thanos, the Mad Titan, He-Who-Courts-Death." I enlisted his titles.

"He-Who-Is-Fucking-Insane." Stark quipped.

"Indeed." I agreed, going back to the point. "However, that doesn't make him any less dangerous, only more so, in fact. Like I said, he intends to court death, as if she were a living being; and when dealing with death, what greater gift can there be than dead people?"

"Thanos is sending his chitauri to this world to kill as many people as he can, intending for those deaths to be seen as gifts by his intended..." Thor added.

"Is that all?" Stark asked sarcastically.

"That is just the first objective in the list." I answered grimly. "We... I believe he might be after the Infinity Stones. Before you ask, the only records that actual mentioned them says they are six mystical artifacts of great power; more than one person has referred to them as Odin's crown jewels too... though that isn't actually true, seeing as they have existed longer than he has. They are supposed to be a mix of science and magic, and myth states they're connected to the creation of the universe... or something along those lines. Each of the stones represents a power of creation: time, space, power, mind, reality and soul."

"What would happen if this Thanos managed to collect all the Stones?" Aunt Kathryn inquired.

"I don't know." Thor admitted.

"No one does." I added. "I went through everything I could find in the Royal Library, books, archives, even old diaries... there is no record of all six stones ever being held together by one individual. However, there is a reason why they were split, it is believed that the power of all stones together could either change the universe in ways we cannot comprehend... or even completely destroy it."

"Do we have any confirmation to these 'myths'?" The woman all in black on the upper level, Second in Command, Maria Hill, inquired.

"There is one." Thor offered. "In the most guarded part of the Weapon's Vault in the Royal Palace of Asgard there is a gauntlet, I've only seen paintings of it, though I know it does exist. It is called the Infinity Gauntlet and it currently holds two of the Stones."

"So, according to your research, two of these stones are in Asgard, one is somewhere here on Earth, the Tesseract, taken by Reindeer Games..." Stark began enlisting. "And where might the other three be?"

"Two." I corrected. "We believe the Gem in Loki's staff might be one of them." I pondered on it. "Whether it is or not, we need to seal that object in a spelled case, there is a pretty big chance its power could affect those in close contact to it."

"Would a titanium-lined case work?" Banner asked worriedly, probably thinking on what they might have in the lab.

"Lead would be preferable." I qualified. "And it would be even better if I could place some shields on the case to truly block anything."

"And the other two stones?" Stark insisted.

"Myth states that the Power Stone, the Aether, was sealed in a pocket dimension, somewhere, because even on its own, its effect was too great." I told him. "No one knows for sure where this pocket dimension is or how to access it. We know nothing of the last Stone."

"Great... just great..." Hill obviously didn't like the situation any.

Truth be told, neither of us did, but complaining about it was useless, so...

"I want to know one thing." Fury stated, looking at me briefly, but focusing on Thor. "You think you can make Loki tell us where the Tesseract is?"

"I know not." Thor admitted after considering things carefully. "I haven't the slightest idea of what place his mind is in right now. We talked briefly when I got him out of your flying vessel... some of the things he said... he either said things with all the intention to get a raise out of me, which would mean he has some kind of elaborate plan; or he truly remembers things differently, which would mean he..."

"He's been broken." I finished for him, holding back a sob. "Loki was tortured for months... in ways that, even with my connection, I can barely understand." I swallowed hard. "Earlier, when I first arrived to this aircraft, I went to see him, he knew not I was there."

"Wasn't that the intent of your spell?" Banner inquired, confused.

"Yes." I nodded almost hysterically. "But my magic is his magic, in more ways than you know." I began pretty much babbling. "I am not Aesir, you know this. Asgard might call me Goddess of Devotion, but I was born human, in many ways I still am exactly that. My magic... Loki and I are connected in many ways I could never hope to explain, it's how I gained magic, it's his. There should be no way I could come anywhere close to my match without him feeling the magic, his magic, feeling me! And yet... he did not know I was there!"

So great was my pain... in that moment I felt as if I were standing on a ledge, hard, cold stone behind me, and emptiness before me, I had nowhere to go, nothing to do but jump... yet there was no way to know if I could survive the leap...

"We need to get Loki to tell us where the Tesseract is, to give it back." Fury insisted, seemingly ignoring my rant.

"Spirits!" I practically screamed at him. "You sound just like Odin! You care not about people, just about the stupid artifact!"

"That, stupid artifact, could potentially destroy our world..." Fury hissed at me.

"And it's your fault it's out there." Aunt Kathryn reminded him stoically. "You could try and show whatever bit of humanity you have left Nicholas, and respect the fact that my niece is on edge. Her husband is being manipulated by some other-worldly monster, he's been hurt, kept prisoner; and she's hurting for him. While you might always choose duty above anything even remotely human, we're not all machines!"

No one replied to that, though one had to be blind not to notice the tension. It was obvious that usually no one spoke to the Director in such a way, yet the fact that Aunt Kathryn dared, and that Fury hadn't tried to stop her, or reprimand her, was telling. He respected her, at least enough to allow her to chastise him when she saw fit. It made me wonder what kind of past those two shared, there had to be something there... however, that wasn't really my priority. No, my main priority was and would always be Loki.

"So, let me see if I've understood this correctly." Stark called right then. "We have one crazy, evil megalomaniac currently inside a steel and glass cage, who claims to want to rule humanity; a second megalomaniac, this one even more evil, and monstrous, stronger than even the supposed gods, who is controlling the first crazy-one and the army that will be invading our world any day now... and lets not forget he also intends to kill thousands of people as a way to sweep Lady Death off her feet..."

"There is no actual Goddess of Death." Thor pointed out. "My niece Hel is the closest there is to one, being the Queen of the Underworld..."

"And Loki isn't what you claim." I added, put out. "Granted, he might be a bit crazy... and I guess there are those who would call some of his quirks as manifestations of megalomania... but then so would you be, Mr. Stark! And he's not evil!"

The megalomaniac millionaire just laughed, at me; I couldn't help myself, snapping my fingers behind my back, Stark's laughter broke off abruptly, shifting into what almost sounded like a screech. Everyone turned to look at him, immediately noticing that his fancy, expensive suit had suddenly turned bright, blinding yellow. An instant later, as everyone fully processed what had just happened, they burst out laughing.

"Yeah, yeah, very funny..." Stark muttered angrily.

"Not so funny when others laugh at you rather than the other way around, is it?" I asked him cheekily, not even bothering to hide that I was the cause.

Not like there would have been much point to trying to pretend, I was the only one in the room who could use magic...

"Change me back!" He half-snapped, half-whined at me.

With a roll of my eyes, I did.

"If you are finished playing games, children..." Fury muttered angrily. "We still have a threat to neutralize. And I don't care who or what the real threat is supposed to be, it will be neutralized!"

His Agents responded in the positive automatically, going back to their duties.

"Very well then." "Stark said, nodding once at me, respectfully. "Your honey is not evil, message received, loud and clear..."

"And colorfully." Banner quipped.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Stark finished, pretending not having heard Banner.

No one was sure what the answer to that question ought to be.

"So, Thor doesn't think he would be able to get Loki to tell him where the Cube is, what about you, ma'am?" Rogers asked me.

I shook my head almost violently; him not reacting to my proximity had been enough to make me feel almost sick, I didn't even want to imagine what it would feel like if he were to actual stare straight at me and not recognize me.

"Anyone else?" Rogers did not insist.

"He did not recognize me..." Aunt Kathryn breathed suddenly.

"What?" Everyone turned to look at her instantly.

"I was in the room when Nicholas sealed the cage." My aunt elaborated. "He stared at me for a second, then looked away, and didn't look back at me, not even once; it was as if I weren't even in the room, as if he didn't know me..."

"Why should he?" Hill asked, confused.

"Because Loki was there with me the day I said goodbye to Aunt Kathryn." I explained. "We told her as much of the truth as we could without putting her in danger and then left. Loki definitely knows my aunt..."

"His eyes are blue!" Kathryn cried out suddenly.

"What?!" Both Thor and I reacted at that.

"What is so special about his eyes being blue?" Several people asked at the same time.

"My brother's eyes aren't blue." Thor answered.

"They are green, bright green." I added, unconsciously beginning to tremble. "I was right... what he's doing right now, he's not doing it of his own free will..."

The mix of relief, hope and love that filled me right then was so strong my legs folded beneath me and I ended on my knees. I could vaguely hear Thor, Aunt Kathryn, and at least one other calling to me, probably worried, but I couldn't focus on them, I was too lost in the feelings. It had been a year since I'd last seen my beloved, and even longer since I'd felt truly connected to him, since I'd truly believed in... anything. In that moment, for the first time in what felt like a lifetime, I truly believed that the nightmare would end, soon... I would get my love back.

* * *

As with every story of this verse, I'll be updating every other week. Also, the poster and set of wallpapers can be found in my DeviantArt account, I can be found there as Princess-Lalaith.

Loki-fans, I have another on-going series with him, Agents of SHIELD centric. It's called Menel and you can find it around here as well!

Thank you. See ya around!


	2. History

This was one of the most painful chapters for me to write, and the reason for the warnings I've included in the tags. While one of the topics had already been mentioned before, in the main storyline, it was only in passing, and with nowhere near this level of intensity, mainly because years had passed and the situation was entirely different to this one. Still, I hope you'll be able to understand why certain things had to be like this.

Also, this is where my secondary pairing comes into play!

* * *

**History**

The past cannot and must not be forgotten, for on its back rests our future...

**xXx Thor's POV xXx**

Nightingale fell into an exhausted sleep after the Lady Kathryn's revelation, the realization that Loki was as much under a spell as my friend and the Agent... it was the first time she slept more than a couple of hours since Heimdall's message regarding my brother's appearance has first reached us, probably since before that. She was so exhausted... I had been afraid, when the plans were made for us to travel to Midgard, that she might not be in fit condition (her battle training notwithstanding), however, I hadn't been able to find it in myself to even try to stop her.

I knew Nightingale blamed herself for the loss of Loki, even more than I blamed myself. Because while I might feel guilty for not having proven myself and regained my powers soon enough so I could return and actually help my brother... she'd been there, all those days, she'd been right there, and she hadn't been able to do anything either. I knew she hadn't been idle, of course not, being the only princess of Asgard it had been up to her to take on the Queen's usual duties while Mother sat by the Allfather's bedside as he slept. She had also managed to attend to Mother, as not even the most trusted handmaidens were allowed into the private royal chambers. And I knew my friends hadn't really helped her, or Loki, at all...

We'd had such plans... from the moment the Allfather announced I would be succeeding him on the throne I knew I wanted no one but my brother to be my Head Advisor, the Crown Whisperer, as some tended to call the position. I also knew that, since I wasn't married and had no sister, the duties of the Queen would fall on Nightingale, she'd been studying everything about it. It was supposed to be perfect, the three of us working together to make Asgard better...

Still, I could see the tension in my brother's every move. He refused to tell me the reason yet I insisted, stubbornly, until he gave up and finally told me the truth: he didn't believe I was ready to be King. That was probably when everything began to go wrong. I was so arrogant, egocentric, so sure that I could do no wrong because, if I were, my father would have told me, right? He would have showed me the error of my ways and taught how to do things right... except I was wrong in that too, I had no father, probably never did. Instead I had a King who cared only about his legacy, and apparently the last piece of it was to inherit his throne to his son.

It was until I was exiled, powerless, on Midgard, that I realized how illogical it was for Odin, for anyone, to want me to be King when I so obviously wasn't ready. If it was only a matter of him needing to go into the Odinsleep, why hadn't Mother been made Regent? It's not like it hadn't happened before. And even if that weren't a choice, it was so painfully obvious which of the two sons was better prepared to take the throne... by far. Except, I suppose, there were no two sons, there had never been.

It was also until I was in Midgard that I began to look back, truly, and realize how unfairly the Allfather always treated Loki. Whenever something happened it would be his fault (and, granted, sometimes it was, but far less than the times he was blamed, and punished, for things); whenever something went right I would be praised... even when sometimes the only reason me and my friends made it out alive (much less succeeded in whatever insane quest we'd gone on) was thanks to him... and I said all he could do were tricks! It was probably my fault Loki was even called a Trickster, thinking about it.

And then, as if my faults up to that point hadn't been bad enough, I committed the worst sin of all when I chose to trust Sif and the Warriors Three above my own brother... granted, they were right that the Allfather hadn't died as Loki had said, nor had Mother forbidden my return, but still. A part of me whispered that maybe he'd only said that so I would feel the same he had the day he learnt his family wasn't really his. He kept saying we weren't brothers, but how could we be anything but? We'd lived over a millennia as brothers, ever since we were but infants, I cannot remember a day when he wasn't there, when I didn't love him.

Thinking back I did so many things wrong... maybe that's why I tried so hard to keep my sister safe afterwards. Even if I was a failure as a brother, I at least would try my damnedest to protect the woman he loves. She was all I had left of Loki, in many ways, and the fact that she'd forgiven me for everything gave me hope that one day Loki might do the same; though, for that, first I had to get my brother back!

We broke fast in what the Son of Coul called the cafeteria; the foods were somewhat different from what I'd enjoyed those days with Erik Selvig, Darcy Lewis and my Lady Jane; however Nightingale (who looked better after her full-night sleep) and the Lady Kathryn helped guide me to foods I enjoyed.

Afterwards the Agents somehow managed to convince my sister to write down everything she knew about the Infinity Stone, Thanos, the chitauri; they wanted to have the information on file, and I also realized it was a way of keeping her thoughts away from Loki, whom we still did not know how to help. The obvious choice: Nightingale doing something, we were unsure how it would go: he could either recognize her straight out and cooperate; could recognize her and, due to his being manipulated, end up putting one or both of them in danger; or he could stare right at her, through her, with no idea who she was. I had no doubt which one would hurt her more.

Regretfully, I had nothing to do to keep my mind off things, and there was no chance for me to fight it off either, as there was no one around capable of keeping up with me when I was truly trying to blow off steam. I was beginning to silently pray for a distraction, any distraction, when none other than the Lady Kathryn went to sit beside me, that I wasn't expecting.

"I want to ask you one question Prince Thor, if I may." She told me in a very respectful tone.

"Just Thor, please, my lady." I told her immediately. "And ask whatever you wish. I imagine it's something about Nightingale..."

I noticed that the woman twitched, it was a very slight move, but I still caught it.

"Is there anything wrong, my lady?" I asked, confused.

"No... nothing at all." She tried to assure me, then sighed. "I'm just not used to her being called 'Nightingale', she's always been Silbhé to me... I know that Loki gave her the name Nightingale, and they chose to keep it when she went to Asgard. The two of them explained to me that it was a layer of protection, if no one in your world knew her human name then they couldn't go after whoever was left of her family to try and hurt her... she was convinced that there would be people who wanted to do that."

"There are, it grieves me to admit." I told her with a sad smile. "However, your niece is a miracle worker; she's managed to earn the friendship and protection of most of those who at some point might have wished her harm. All except the hardest council-members... and the King..."

"Your Father?" She seemed both shocked and worried by that revelation.

"Like I told him two days ago, if he is not my brother's father, he's not mine." I told her very seriously. "As long as he keeps refusing to recognize him, I will continue ignoring any blood-tie there might exist between us. Right now he's my King, and nothing more."

"Couldn't he cause you trouble, if you do not obey him?" She asked.

I couldn't help but marvel at the woman before me, she hardly knew me, and yet she worried about me. I knew it was related to the way Nightingale had introduced me, as her brother, and since Lady Kathryn was her aunt, her mother in all but blood, she was considering me family already. It was a connection I cherished, I was sure that a woman who was responsible for raising a lady as remarkable as my sister could be nothing short of amazing.

"He could, if he had any backing." I couldn't help but smile. "Mother supports me, supports us all, as does Heimdall, the Guardian of the Realms. I also have the backing of General Tyr, and of my greatest friends: Lady Sif and the Warriors Three: Fandral, Volstagg and Hogun. Even the nobles and council members know I am to be the next King. And it's not like the Allfather can disavow me and hand the throne to someone else, I am the only son of his blood. He will not live forever, regardless of what your myths seem to imply; He and I both know that if he renounces me Asgard's Throne will end empty when he's gone, and our beloved Realm will fall into civil war as Warriors try to rise to power. If such a thing came to happen then Odin would be forever remembered as the King who ended the Royal Bloodline of Asgard out of pride, and allowed the Realm Eternal to drown in war and blood. He will not want that to be his legacy." I smirked. "So no, I will be alright. And as Loki and Nightingale are my brother and sister and, as such, under my protection, so will they be. Any attack on them would be an attack on my person, and that is something I would never tolerate."

She nodded with a smile, obviously gratified by the reassurance.

"You said you had a question." I reminded her right then. "Or was that it?"

"No." She shook her head, considering things for a moment before finally voicing the question. "How well has S... N... my niece been doing, truly?"

I couldn't help but sigh, truly, from all the questions that could have been asked... still, the lady deserved the truth, and I was sure she at least could imagine some of it, she must have known things weren't as simple as Nightingale had tried to make it seem the day before; she wouldn't have asked the question otherwise.

"She's actually well-enough." I tried to focus on the good things, make her focus on those too. "I will always remember the day she managed to befriend Sif. It had seemed so impossible at first. While my other friends respected her, first for being my sister, and later on for her persistence in a great many things: like taking over Loki's duties after his fall, making sure no one would talk bad about him, and try very hard to train, even though her body just wasn't meant for a Warrior... Sif was another matter." I sighed, remembering those days. "I know not if you're aware of this, but Sif was the one who discovered your niece, here on Midgard, and who first brought her existence to the Allfather's attention."

"You mean it was all her fault?!" The Lady Kathryn was both dismayed and infuriated by that.

"It was." I admitted, raising my hands to stop her ranting before it could come, I wanted her to understand. "While I understand this may not seem like enough, I have to be honest and tell you that, at the time, neither she nor I could see anything wrong with her course of action. Millennia ago, after the end of the last inter-dimensional war, the Allfather decreed that while Midgard, your Realm, would remain under the protection of Asgard, we were not to interfere with its people. You were to grow and change on your own, without any outside influence. I always knew Loki liked visiting other realms every-so-often, he wasn't the only one, so that wasn't a problem. However, when the true scope of his actions became known... things changed. What my brother had done, befriending a human, revealing to her the truth about him, about Asgard, and the universe as a whole, it went against the Allfather's ruling."

"Why?" She insisted.

"It was considered that my brother was influencing your niece, one thing he was never supposed to do. If she had been ignorant of his true identity, his power and origins it might have been different, but she knew..." I shook my head.

At some point more people had gathered around us, and I could tell they were paying close attention to everything that was being said; I could also notice their obvious distaste at what I was saying. I myself could hardly believe I'd once been alright with things, that I had so easily accepted that someone, an innocent girl, should be tried and condemned for something that wasn't truly her fault, that shouldn't even be seen as a crime at all. There was so much I did not know back then, and I had also trusted my father way more than I should, believed him to be capable of no wrong... how foolish I had been!

"He never told her, did you know that?" The lady commented right then.

"What?" I wasn't expecting that.

"I mean that Loki never told Silbhé the truth about himself." She clarified.

"Then how...?" I did not understand.

"My niece found out, all on her own." She smiled proudly at that. "During their first meeting, he gave her an alias, a human name... it was actually the name I knew him by for years: Luka, my niece's one and only friend, who dropped by for a visit every so often, yet always had to leave before I could get to see him..." She shook her head. "Silbhé didn't buy the lie. She told me, the day they revealed things to me, that the moment she saw int his eyes she knew it was all a lie, there was no way those eyes could belong to a thirteen-year-old, which was the age he was pretending to be; some kind of magic I suppose. She could see through the trick..."

"How old was she at the time?" Banner asked from the other side of the table, where we sat on the bridge of the flying fortress.

"Eleven years old." Lady Kathryn was definitely proud of her niece.

"Eleven..." Rogers repeated, shocked obviously by how small the number was, how young. "How old is she now?"

"Twenty." The Lady answered honestly.

For a few seconds not a word was spoken, and then the Lady Widow interfered:

"You were telling us about your friend..." She reminded me.

"Right." I nodded, going back to the original topic of conversation. "Sif told the Allfather about Nightingale's existence, and kept spying on both her and Loki in an attempt to discover just how much she knew. Plans were being made. I don't know all the details but, considering the laws, I imagine it would have included Loki being locked up for a while, and most likely your niece losing any and all memories connected to Loki."

"What?!" The Lady Kathryn was absolutely horrified. "Do you have any idea how much time that would mean? The two have been friends since she was eleven! Taking that many memories... it could have destroyed her mind, her life!"

I could do nothing but lower my head penitently, could hardly believe I'd ever accepted an idea like that as the norm, never stopping to consider how the human having her memories taken would feel. It had all changed thanks to my beloved Jane; and once I'd gotten to actually know Nightingale... I understood why my brother loved her so, I would do anything to protect her.

"I'm really, really not liking this Odin, or your people, right now Point Break." Stark commented very coldly. "If anyone were to try and mess with my mind..."

"It never happened." I reminded everyone listening in. "My brother must have asked our Mother for help. I know not the details, but one day Mother simply announced that she'd chosen a new handmaiden and a protege; then she introduced Lady Nightingale to us. Sif knew who she was of course, and the Allfather, but there was nothing they could do anymore, not when she was under Mother's protection... she served for a year, to fulfill the protocols; then the day after her service ended, my brother announced their betrothal."

"Just like that?" Banner seemed shocked by that.

"It was not as sudden as it might seem." I explained. "They'd been planning their union for months, even I knew about it. There were those who did not agree with the match, but Mother had given her blessing, and that was that." I smiled. "Sif was quite put out by the whole thing, even if I did not understand why at first. It was true that neither of us thought much of mortals back then, but that was mostly due to our own education. It was until I was exiled in this realm, weakened and vulnerable, the same as any mortal man, that I began to understand." I couldn't help but look at everyone around. "Your race... humans as a whole, you may not have the power, or the strength, or the longevity of us, yet it's not really about that. It's like... like your own weakness, the shortness of the time you have to live drives you. Pushes you to do things, achieve goals, reach limits and surpass them... in ways I have never seen any other race being capable of doing." I turned to the Captain and the Man of Iron, one by one. "Your shield is as strong and mighty a weapon as Mjolnir, and any weapon in the Royal Vault... and the suit of armor... I do not believe anyone except perhaps the dwarves of Nidavellir, the most renown blacksmiths of all the Nine Realms, could ever even conceive the creation of such a thing. And then there's your people of science... the things I noticed the Lady Jane was studying when I last saw her, the things she comprehended... even most scholars in Asgard are below her level." I shook my head. "We... the people of Asgard, and quite possibly other realms as well, have underestimated your world, your race, believing you to still be as you were a thousand years ago. I know now that was a mistake. The Lady Jane, Lady Darcy, Erik, and my sister, have taught me that." I let out a breath, returning once more to the main topic of the conversation. "It was a lesson my friend Sif was also in dire need of."

I could still remember that day quite clearly, as if it had just happened. It had been weeks since Sif had taken over Nightingale's hand to hand and blade training and it was going well, at least considering that, by her size alone, anyone would see my sister as someone simply not meant to be a Warrior. Still, she would be able to protect herself, and that was what mattered, especially with how she kept calling attention to herself, as she insisted on fulfilling Loki's duties in his absence, as well as reminding everyone who might think different that her match was not dead, and would be returning as soon as he could.

_Sif and Nightingale had been exchanging blows, either with limbs or blades (and a handful of times, magic, in my sister's case), for half an hour, the longest they had ever kept sparring non-stop as my sister's endurance, even with all her training, still was considerably less than that of an Asgardian. That fight was the longest they'd ever had and, to my consideration, also the most vicious one. Sif had stopped pulling her punches at some point after Nightingale distracted her attention momentarily by turning her hair pink. _

"_What the hell is it with you sorcerers and my hair?!" Sif had screeched. _

_Five more minutes later and they were both sporting a rather serious collection of bruises and cuts; my sister was favoring her left side, while Sif kept having to wipe the blood that fell into her right eye due to a cut just above her eyebrow. And they still wouldn't stop fighting... Nightingale was exhausted, dangerously so, I could tell just by looking at her; but she was proud and so very stubborn, and it was obvious she wouldn't give in to Sif, no matter what. _

_Right then Sif made a quick swipe with her left hand, which might have dealt a serious cut to Nightingale's collarbone if the knife on my friend's hand hadn't turned into a flower in the last second. The Warriors Three laughed, yet Sif didn't seem to find it funny, she screeched in fury, reaching with her bare hand for my sister. Nightingale managed to mostly evade her hold, though Sif in the end seized her braid, which had fallen free of the pin my sister usually used to keep it up and out of the way. Sif pulled harshly enough to make Nightingale lose her balance, then took hold of her arm and threw her violently away. _

"_Sister!" I cried out in shock. _

_Everyone had stopped laughing the moment we realized how badly things had turned, if my sister crashed against the wall there would be bones broken, at the very least. _

_Nightingale never touched the wall, I could see her eyes widen when she understood the precariousness of her situation then, an instant later, she disappeared. She reappeared, in a flicker, on top of several piled mats just a breath later. I noticed her almost immediately, was about to call to her in relief, when her actions stunned me. She was obviously exhausted, more than she had been even a minute before; yet she still forced herself up, sliding off the mats and then marched up to Sif, standing before her with an aura that seemed to radiate power. _

"_What the hell is wrong with you?!" She demanded of my old friend. "Were you trying to kill me?! I thought we'd moved past all that!" _

"_If you're not ready for real life you shouldn't have insisted on playing with the big kids." Sif told her with such contempt, like I'd never heard from her before. _

"_Are you for real?!" Nightingale let out an un-lady-like snort. "Is this because I turned your hair pink? You cannot be that petty, can you? And it's not like its permanent, the color will return to its normal black in a little while. If you're the kind of person who doesn't want others messing with their hair or things like that, I'm sorry, but it was the first thing I could think of that did not require an insane amount of power, at least with my exhaustion... not that it made much of a difference in the end since I had to use all that energy anyway to teleport before I ended up broken against the freaking wall!" _

"_I already told you..." _

"_Not to play with the big kids, I get it. What is wrong with you? This cannot be about your hair. And, like I said, I thought we'd finally managed to put our animosity behind... or more like yours since, you know, I hadn't even met you before Loki brought me here!" _

"_You shouldn't even be here! You don't belong here!" _

"_I am married to Loki, I belong where he does!" _

"_That monster doesn't belong here either!" _

_The crack announcing the hit of flesh on flesh echoed through the training room; not a word was spoken as we all watched in shock... Nightingale had just delivered a slap to the much taller Sif, and somehow managed to do it with enough force to turn her head. _

"_The next time you dare call, or even imply Loki is a monster... I will end you..." Nightingale hissed, the air practically cracking with power around her. _

_She was exhausted, hurt, should have been unconscious already after all the effort she'd put forth in the last hour... yet somehow my sister managed not only to keep standing, but the show of power would certainly be remembered not only by Sif and the Warriors, but also everyone else who had been following the spar with interest. _

_Almost a full minute passed, with no sound except the panting from the two women. I considered intervening, when suddenly Sif dropped to her knees with a breath. _

"_How can you even defend him?" She asked in a low, tired tone. "After everything he's done? To Asgard, to Thor, to you, how...?" _

"_Because he's my match..." Nightingale stated serenely, as if it were the most simple truth in the universe. "These are not just words, Sif. Loki is my match, he was long before we shared that mead and were blessed in that feast. I love him with everything I am, it is simply unthinkable to me to do anything else, anything less. You talk about the things he's done, but what has he done, really, to deserve your anger? He let Jotun into Asgard on Thor's coronation, to prove the truth no one wanted to hear, that our brother wasn't ready for the throne back then. He agreed to take a throne that was never meant to be his, because there was no one else who could do it. He refused your idiotic demands of getting Thor back because he understood in a way you didn't, and still seem unable to, that he couldn't undo what the Allfather had done when he exiled his brother. It wasn't just about sending him to another world, Thor had been stripped of his power, and that could only be undone under certain conditions, which only Thor himself could meet. You demanded impossible things from Loki, then got angry when he couldn't deliver. He went to Jotunheim secretly, to try and stop a war that would have killed hundreds, or even thousands of Asgardians; and in the end he had to use more unorthodox methods... because Laufey was beyond reason and refused to make a deal for peace! Jotun got into Asgard for a second time, into the palace even, and almost killed Odin in his sleep, true; and why did that happen? Because Loki was distracted, dealing with your betrayal, and couldn't be there in time to stop the Giants before they made it that far!" Nightingale was beginning to pant, yet she still went on. "You are so quick to see the mistakes my beloved has made, what about your own? Your pettiness, your arrogance, your treason to one who, chosen heir or not, was your king at the time?! If anyone deserves the title of monster here, that is you Sif, not my match, never him..." _

"_If he had just told us what he was doing...?" _

"_What? You would have been understanding, supporting him, aiding him, being his friends?! Don't make me laugh, and don't try to lie to me, I know a lie when I hear it... and because I can already imagine what's the next thing you will try to accuse Loki of, he's never lied to me." _

"_Even if that were true..." Sif panted. "And I'm not saying it is. Even if you could somehow excuse everything he did a few months ago, that doesn't explain everything else. All his dark jokes, his cruel pranks, all the times he hurt people..." _

"_What about all the times he saved people, or even just you, Thor, and your friends?" I asked in turn. "How many times would you have died, or been permanently maimed if it hadn't been for him and his 'tricks'?" _

_I actually winced at that, knowing it was my fault people referred to my brother's incredible talent with magic in such a condescending manner. Still, something told me I needed to really listen to what was being said, so I stayed quiet and focused. _

"_Things would have been much better if Loki had done as he should, as was expected of a Prince of Asgard." Sif insisted. _

_Nightingale laughed, a dark, nearly hysterical laugh that reminded me, painfully, of Loki during our fight on the Rainbow Bridge, when madness had taken him over. Eventually she stopped laughing, sighing deeply as she allowed her legs to stop holding her up, falling into a half-kneeling, half-sitting position. _

"_I cannot believe you just said that... you of all people!" Nightingale shook her head almost sadly. "How can you not see that you and Loki are exactly the same?" _

"_What?!" Sif wasn't the only one in shock at that statement. _

"_Have you forgotten?" Nightingale asked, staring straight at my friend. "The little girl dressed in old clothes, never meant to fight in, and borrowed armor too big for her, offering herself as a challenger during the end of the summer festival and, to everyone's surprise, managing to take down the most promising student of the military academy? It's how you earned a chance, right? How you got to be formally trained..." _

"_How do you know that?" Sif was flabbergasted. _

"_Loki was there that day, he saw you." My sister told her quietly. "He shared the memory with me once. He was in absolute awe of you, of your daring and your bravery. He even told Thor, right after that fight, that you would go far, be one of the elite one day... he was so sure that day, that you would be the best of friends... and when I saw the memory I couldn't understand why you weren't. Yet now... seeing the shock in your eyes, hearing you say such idiotic words and not realize what it is you're doing..." _

_I was in shock by that point as well. I could remember that day, Loki's expression, his words, though somehow I hadn't though on it for a very long time. Loki had been right, so very right; and somehow, as Nightingale spoke, I began to see what she did, and couldn't believe I hadn't noticed it before... in hindsight, it was so painfully obvious. _

"_You..." Nightingale finally stated things clearly, deadly serious. "a woman who chose to break away from expectations, who chose to be a Warrior, rather than engaging in lady-like activities... would begrudge Loki making his own choices, choosing to step away from the path meant for Asgardian men, choose to be something other than a Warrior. His pursuits might not have been what was expected of his sex, but then, it was the same with you. Why then is it so hard for you, for everyone, to understand him? You've had support all along, especially from Thor and the Warriors Three... yet who supported my match? No one..." _

_She was right, and the mere thought of it was like a knife to my heart. I had done a disservice to my brother, for so many years... I didn't deserve to be considered his brother. And yet, that did not mean I wouldn't try, I would, with everything I had and maybe, someday, I would be able to stand beside him once again, truly call him my brother, and have him call me the same, truly deserve to have something like that... _

The whole memory went through my mind relatively quickly, so not much time had passed when I refocused on the present. The people around were still waiting for an explanation on what had happened between my sister and my friend.

"Nightingale wanted to learn to fight, and began training in earnest after recovering from... the shock of Loki's fall." I explained as best I could, without giving out what essentially were a couple's secrets. "Actually, my brother had been teaching her beforehand, but only the basics. I tried to help her but... she's so small, and I so big, I was too afraid of hurting her to truly give her the help she needed. Then, one day, Sif interfered. I know not if her original intention was to help, if she was tired of us getting nowhere, or just wanted to blow off some steam. Sif took Nightingale down hard, more than once, but my sister would always get back up and try again. Eventually she began progressing; though she still claims she will never truly be a Warrior..." I shook my head. "One day... I'm not sure what happened, it was like Sif snapped, or they both did. Their spar was more vicious than any before... it ended abruptly, but even afterwards, they began arguing. It was a serious argument, one that helped us understand a lot, and it also made me cringe at the fact that I never noticed such things. The two made their peace right then."

"So they're now friends?" Rogers inquired.

"I wouldn't call us friends, but at least she's not angry at me for whatever the reason anymore." A soft, serene voice called from behind me.

Several people actually jumped, I winced; none of us were expecting Nightingale to return so soon; though I should have expected something like that, she was always very efficient.

"So, what kind of lies has my brother been telling you all?" She asked in good humor.

"How you managed to turn an enemy into a friend." Banner answered with a smile.

"I don't know why people insist on seeing it like that." She shook her head good-naturedly. "We were never enemies... or in any case, I never saw her that way. Truth be told, I simply never understood why she hated Loki so much..."

"I believe there was some hair-color change involved at some point." Hill offered with a smirk.

"Ah... that." My sister actually smiled. "It was nothing like that." At the looks of disbelief she explained. "Yes, Loki did change Sif's originally blonde hair to black, and it was permanent. However, it wasn't meant as a prank, or an attack, all the opposite in fact. You see, most of the ladies in Asgard are blonde, or with golden hair, that kind of look. Loki thought Sif needed to be different, that there were people who still didn't take her seriously as a Warrior, as if she were some kind of joke. He believed that if she no longer looked any like the rest of the Asgardian Ladies, it would be easier for her to show how unique she was. Sif is, truly, the only black-haired woman in all of Asgard, at least from what I've seen. And she's beautiful just like that, unique, as she was always meant to be."

"Does Sif know this?" I was surprised by the explanation though, somehow, it made a lot of sense; and really something my brother would think of.

"I told her, not long after we had that argument." Nightingale nodded.

"There is one thing I still don't understand." The Son of Coul stated, seriously, looking straight at my sister. "You've explained how you were born human and all that... where does the 'Goddess of Devotion' come from, then?"

My sister blushed deeply at the question, and I knew why, she'd told me more than once how strange she felt, being called a goddess, when she wasn't really Aesir; still, she raised a hand to stop me before I could offer any explanation, choosing to handle it herself.

"Contrary to what most might believe, reading Norse mythology, the Aesir aren't born with a god-title." She explained to everyone around. "And there are more titles than just those. For instance, my match is known as the Trickster, the Sky-Treader, the Silvertongue, among other titles. The first is due to his magic, the fact that Thor called it tricks more than once; the second is in relation to his ability to travel from one realm to the other without using the Bifrost, also thanks to his magic; the third was given to him due to his way with words. Regarding god-titles, everyone knows his: God of Lies and Mischief. Contrary to yet another popular belief, Loki hardly ever truly lies, not because he cannot, though even that isn't easy with the Aesir, when any sentence, if worded just a certain way, can become a vow, and you cannot lie with those; he hardly ever lies because he considers it too simple and boring... instead he prefers to play with words, in such a way that you will end up believing exactly what he wants you to believe, which is in no way the truth, yet he will convince you of it, without ever actually voicing a lie. And Mischief... well, I think that one is pretty obvious; he's always seen pranks as a way of getting back at those who insult him, who will not accept him; they're also a way of proving his skills at strategy, as people can hardly ever find any proof that the pranks were his doing. They will accuse him, of course, might even manage to convict him... but that's more because of his fame, than because of actual proof." She shook her head. "In any case, that's also how I got my own title. After Loki... fell. My insistence on being loyal to him, and on making sure that no one would insult him, think any less of him, people began calling me on... well, my devotion to him, and it stuck."

There were several nods all around, and while her explanation was pretty good, I knew that was not all there was to it, and it didn't seem fair to downplay her achievements, her valor...

"That was not all." I informed everyone calmly.

They all turned to me either expectant or confused, even Nightingale, and it was then that I realized that even she did not know... maybe because it was all so natural to her, she could not understand how things had looked like to us...

"There was another instance before that, before Loki's fall, the one that made people begin using the title of Goddess of Devotion, to refer to her." I explained. "It happened a little over a fortnight after their return from their honeymoon travels; Loki had gone back to his duties, and Nightingale insisted on accompanying him. While some admired her willingness to learn, to help, some did not agree with her presence in council sessions and diplomatic meetings. Of course, whenever my brother or I heard someone saying anything insulting he would put a stop to it. Most people understood, and didn't repeat their behavior... but there was one who refused to listen. He kept calling Nightingale derisive names, referring to her in contempt or disdain; he was even trying to convince other council members of his opinion. When verbal chastisement proved not to be enough to make him desist, Loki decided to be more proactive. He used a very elaborate spell on the man, which made it so every time he tried to speak ill of Nightingale, he would end up saying just the opposite; the worse the things he tried to say were, the more he ended up complimenting her. And not only that, but when people asked him questions where he would usually lie, mostly to get favors and such, he could no longer do so. In a short while he'd lost all the backing he'd once had, no one wanted him around anymore. That made him furious, he contracted the aid of a Sorceress, the Enchantress Amora; the only one who's ever managed to duel Loki to a draw." I shook my head, didn't like remembering what had happened that day, yet it was an important part to explain things correctly. "I don't know where she found that particular spell, or how she even had enough power to cast it, but she somehow managed. The spell sew Loki's mouth shut, with a magical thread that couldn't be cut by any conventional means, not even enchanted weapons. It was also reinforced with enough magic it would take Loki weeks, if not longer, to break down all the spells; and that after he'd researched the enchantment thoroughly, which Odin refused to allow, as it was a spell he didn't want my brother to learn to cast."

"Wait a second." Hill said abruptly. "You mean your brother was cursed, his mouth sewn shut, and instead of helping him somehow, your father actually was blocking him from being able to help himself?! What kind of sick bastard is he?!"

I could only shrug slightly at that, having no idea how I could possibly answer that; at least it did not seem like they were actually expecting an answer.

"Mother was away, on a journey for a couple of weeks at the least, or you can be sure she would have done something immediately." I assured everyone. "Nightingale tried to get the information to help Loki, but it was useless and then... she declared that if people really did not want to hear her match's voice, then they wouldn't hear hers either, because they were one."

"What was so special about that?" The Lady Widow asked, not understanding.

"There is a reason my brother called her the Nightingale..." Thor explained with a smile. "And it's not just the black-jade flute she always carries around, and which can replicate the sound of such songbirds... no, it's her own voice." I turned to look at her, still smiling. "She has the most beautiful voice I've ever heard from anyone, human and Aesir alike; and since her wedding to my brother, magic seems to have been infused into every note..."

Nightingale blushed brightly at the words I said, but didn't try to deny it; she could remember as well as I what had happened after her refusal to speak.

"It took a little over a week, after that." I continued the explanation. "Everyone could see the effects her silence was having, and those who had any magical awareness could feel them too. The plants that fed from her magic began drying, other songbirds all around stopped their own songs and then... it was as if the very magic that permeates Asgard's every stone and grain of dirt began dissipating." I shook my head at the memory. "Then one day there was a feast, to receive a group of dignitaries from Alfheim. Once the meal was finished and the party truly began, Lord Voronwë, the Head Ambassador, asked to hear Princess Nightingale sing. He'd heard from other dignataries the stories of the magic of her voice, and wanted to hear it himself. She refused. Even when the Allfather gave her the order to do it, she wouldn't open her mouth. She and Loki had hidden his condition with a glamour, so no one would see the thread sealing his mouth shut, most people just thought he was a bit sick or something, and that was what kept him quiet. In the end I had to explain the situation to Lord Voronwë, he was dismayed, not at the vow my sister had made and was holding onto, but at the fact that no one had even tried to help my brother." I let out a sigh. "As it turned out, he was related to Lady Thenidiel, the best spellweaver in their own realm, who arrived to Asgard right away and was able to help Loki break Amora's enchantment. In thanks Loki wove a spell so every musical instrument in the room would follow Nightingale's voice as she sang for the elves."

"Something tells me that Odin really didn't like it." Phil commented.

"He did not." I nodded. "He thought Lady Nightingale had made him look bad through her refusal, and the fact that Lord Voronwë had called on someone else to help, when he claimed to be unable to do anything... however, he couldn't take it out on her, on either of them really, not with all the negotiations that were taking place with Alfheim, as Lord Voronwë had stated he and his people would talk to no one but my brother and sister." I let out a breath, remembering what happened later on. "He even promised to help us after my brother's fall, said he would let my sister know if any of them saw or heard anything about him..."

"He protected them." Hill understood.

"Yes." I agreed. "He was also the first person who made mention of Nightingale's extraordinary devotion to my brother, how blessed he would feel if anyone ever were to direct similar feelings to him... it was after that event, that others began referring to her in similar ways, until it became her title: the Goddess of Devotion..."

My sister was still blushing hotly and looking down at all the praise, while everyone else seemed to be busy pondering on everything I'd said; or almost anyone, as it turns out, as the Man of Iron, in a complete non-sequitur, asked the one question I never expected to hear...

"So, the way I see it, all this mess began last year, when Point Break here was thrown down to our little world and meanwhile things got out of control up there with the little princess and the gods." Stark enlisted in a very calculative tone. "I understand why Point Break couldn't stop it all from going to hell... but what about you, little princess?"

Nightingale actually froze, it looked like she wasn't even breathing.

"I mean, you were there, right?" Stark went on, seemingly not noticing the growing tension. "You were married to the guy! Probably slept beside him every night... yet did not notice when he went all psycho and decided to have a duel with his big brother to the death...?"

"Man of Iron..." I tried to shut him up, but he refused to listen.

"What woman does not notice when her husband is going off the deep end?" He went on.

"Stark..." Even the Son of Coul, and some others tried, but it was useless.

"What could you have possibly been doing...?" He continued.

"STOP IT!" My sister finally screamed.

There was no mistaking that tone, I remembered it quite clearly, the pained cry that had echoed throughout Asgard the moment Loki had fallen off the edge of the Rainbow Bridge. It still made my heart feel cold.

There was absolute silence, even the Man of Iron finally stopped. They were all staring at my sister wide-eyed; not having expected such a reaction from her. She had gotten on her feet and in that moment she was staring straight at him, her aura almost visible with with all the emotion the accusations had brought forth.

"Stop it..." She repeated, panting. "Don't you... don't you dare accuse me of doing anything but loving my match with my whole heart and soul. I would... I would die, a thousand deaths, before doing something that in any way resembled a betrayal!" She took a deep breath, which came out as a sob, as the first tears began falling from her eyes. "Do you want to know what I was doing? What kept me so distracted I didn't realize the love of my existence was falling apart, breaking like so much glass? I was grieving! Wanna know why?" She didn't even allow for an answer. "Because I had just lost my baby! A little over eight weeks pregnant, and I had a miscarriage... I lost a baby, and I was grieving, so much I didn't notice I was losing yet someone else a piece at a time. That may make me a lousy wife, but it doesn't mean I love my husband any less. So don't you dare, ever, imply anything of that sort. Do You Understand Me Stark?!"

The Man of Iron did not answer, he did not dare say a word, he just nodded mutely at her. No one said a word, they didn't seem to know what to say after such a confession. My sister just let out a breath-sob, before spinning around, almost hysterically looking for a way out, then, when finding none, she simply teleported out.

"What the he...?!" Fury was looking all around for her instantly.

"She's not in the room anymore." I told him quietly. "She's still in your fortress, just not in the room. She teleported."

"If she can do something like teleporting, what makes you so sure that she's still on-board?" The Director inquired, obviously not believing me.

"She can only teleport short distances." I explained. "To cover greater ones she would need to Shadow Walk, which she won't do now for several reasons. First: it's a risk, as the Mad Titan dwells in the abyss, which is connected to the Shadow Paths, and if he were to see her she would be in terrible danger; Second, and most important: she won't leave without Loki."

Fury nodded, seemingly taking that for the truth. Having settled that, I turned to the Man of Iron.

"I hope you're satisfied, Man of Iron." I told him in my coldest voice. "It's taken Mother and I over a year to get her to mostly stop blaming herself both for the loss of the child, and Loki's fall, and you went and accused her exactly of that..."

"I didn't know..." He began.

"What gives you any right to accuse anyone?" I insisted. "You know nothing of us, of our lives! What makes you think you have any right to judge us?"

I didn't hear the man give an answer, but I didn't wait long for one either; instead I left, knowing that if I were to stay I ran the risk of punching him, just for what he'd said to my sister, and the last thing I needed was to create any more animosity. I didn't try looking for my sister, knew there would be no point, she was good at hiding herself when she wanted to; I just hoped she would be able to recover from the blow. The last thing we needed was to get Loki back, only to lose her; my brother would never forgive me if I allowed that to happen.

**xXx Nightingale's POV xXx**

I wasn't sure how exactly I ended outside the helicarrier exactly, but after concluding that it was the least likely place for anyone to find me, or even look for me, I simply sat down, my legs curled beneath me, stayed there. Eventually I could deal with the silence of the outside no more and did what I do best, turn the storm that was my feelings into a song and let it out:

"Lost in the darkness  
Hoping for a sign  
Instead there's only silence  
Can't you hear my screams?  
Never stop hoping  
Need to know where you are  
But one thing's for sure  
You're always in my heart..."

"I'll find you somewhere  
I'll keep on trying  
Until my dying day  
I just need to know  
Whatever has happened  
The truth will free my soul..."

"Lost in the darkness  
Tried to find your way home  
I want to embrace you  
And never let you go...  
Almost hope you're in heaven  
So no one can hurt your soul  
Living in agony  
Cause I just do not know  
Where you are..."

"I'll find you somewhere  
I'll keep on trying  
Until my dying day  
I just need to know  
Whatever has happened  
The truth will free my soul..."

"Wherever you are  
I won't stop searching  
Whatever it takes me to know..."

"I'll find you somewhere  
I'll keep on trying  
Until my dying day  
I just need to know  
Whatever has happened  
The truth will free my soul..."

At some point before I actually began singing the last repeat of the chorus I actually noticed I wasn't alone anymore, though I had no idea when exactly I'd been found, or how I hadn't noticed anyone approaching... still I was too far into my personal brand of catharsis to stop, so I just finished the song. Then, when I was done I doubled over, burying my face in my lap and the folds of my dress as I cried...

I know not for how long I just sat there, crying almost hysterically, but eventually I recovered enough sense of self to realize that the person who had found me hadn't left yet. She (for I could sense it was a woman, and not just any woman, but the Black Widow herself), hadn't approached me either, just waiting by the closest entrance to the helicarrier.

"I am alright now..." I called once I was considerably sure I could control my voice, it sounded just a bit hoarse.

I couldn't exactly erase the signs of crying that were on my face, but she'd seen the whole thing, so there was not much point in hiding from her; and I could do up a glamour once I went back inside (because I knew I would have to, eventually).

"I guess Thor was right when he said there was power in your voice." She commented suddenly.

"If only that power were enough..." I murmured with a sigh.

But it wasn't, I knew. If it were I would have sang until my voice abandoned me, only for a chance to get Loki back... but it wasn't enough.

"You are not alright." The Black Widow said right then, concerning my earlier statement. "But you will be. If there is any way to break the mental-control that alien has on your husband, you'll find it, and you'll use it. And then he won't be lost anymore..."

I knew she was right, it was what I kept telling myself over and over again; but sometimes it was so hard to believe it...

"Why are you even helping me?" I couldn't help but blurt out.

"Because I know what it is to lose control of your emotions, to be hurt by someone else's idiocy." She pointed out, obviously referring to Stark. "And I... I know what it is like to lose a child..."

That one I wasn't expecting.

"Our situations weren't the same, obviously, they could have never been." She went on. "You lost your baby in an involuntary miscarriage. I did it on purpose..."

I could have screamed right about then, but when she went on I decided to wait a moment, wait and listen; the last thing I needed was to make the same mistake Stark had and accuse someone, judge someone, prematurely, for no good reason; and even if there were, it wasn't my place.

"It happened shortly after I left the Red Room." She said, then elaborated. "I was trained from a very young age to be an interrogator, spy, assassin, in a place called the Red Room. That was where I was given the name of Black Widow, it was a program, where they trained orphaned girls like I, I was the only one still alive at the end..." She shook her head. "Eventually I tired of that life, began getting sloppy, probably had a death-wish. S.H.I.E.L.D. sent Hawkeye after me, but rather than kill me, he chose to save me, he brought me to S.H.I.E.L.D., convinced his handler, Phil Coulson, to give me a chance." She sighed. "At some point after that, right after a risky mission, we fell into bed together. It happened several times, and we never gave it too much importance, never even mentioned it after it happened. It was just sex... until it wasn't." She shook her head self-deprecatingly. "I suppose for him it never was... I always saw sex like any other weapon, never expected to feel anything. When I found out I was pregnant... I couldn't deal with it. The Red Room had recently found me, been after me for a while. I knew that it was dangerous for me to be pregnant, it made me a liability. So I went and got an abortion. I didn't even tell Clint that I'd been pregnant. Then, a lot of stuff happened; I didn't have papers to go to a hospital and get a legal abortion, so I had to go to a man who didn't even have a medical license, in the backroom of a motel. I should have taken it easy for a while afterwards, made sure to take the medicines I was given, and rest; but an assassin was after me again, and Clint and I had to run. After two weeks on the run I got really bad, ended up in a hospital. It turned out that the lack of sterilization in that backroom, added to the fact that I had to stop taking the meds when they made me sleepy and dizzy, two things I couldn't have happening while on the run, compounded, leaving me with a serious infection. By the time Hawkeye and I finally got to a S.H.I.E.L.D. medical facility, they could save me, but were forced to perform a hysterectomy. So, I pretty much gave up my one and only chance to ever have a child..."

"And Hawkeye?" I couldn't help but ask.

"He didn't forgive me for a long time." He admitted. "For the longest time he hardly said a word to me, unless we were on a job. But working together, especially in our line of work, means that you either learn to deal with the shit and move on, or you die. Eventually he warmed up to me again, and we resumed our relationship. I think he has forgiven me for what I did all those years ago; I think... but there are days when I'm still not sure... Maybe if I hadn't killed the chance of us ever having a family together, especially without even asking for his input, after all, that was his child too..." She shook her head. "I don't even know if I would want to have any children, even now, don't know if I could bring a child into a world as fucked up as I know ours is..."

"Sometimes I wonder if Loki blames me..." I admitted quietly.

"You said you had an involuntary miscarriage..." The Black Widow sounded confused.

"I did." I nodded. "Because I was only human."

"Human?" She didn't understand. "But I thought...? You were?"

"I am a goddess now." I clarified. "Not just by title, I have partaken in Idunn's apples, the fruit that grants the Aesir immortality, or what passes for that in the Realm Eternal. However, at the time of my pregnancy and miscarriage, I hadn't." I let out a breath. "I should have taken the first one the very day after Loki and I married; however, while I was his wife, the Allfather refused to recognize me as his daughter, even as a proper citizen of Asgard, therefore I wasn't allowed the apples. Loki could have gotten one for me, of course, but I didn't believe it prudent to provoke Odin in such a way, so I convinced Loki to wait, it's not like I was in any immediate need of it, I was barely eighteen, after all..." I shook my head. "Somehow, in my year in Asgard I managed to forget how badly ill I'd once been." I backtracked, realizing she wouldn't understand the next part without some further explanation. "I have leukemia, was first diagnosed when I was five. At nine I went into remission, a state that lasted until I was fourteen. By the time I went to see the doctors again my body wouldn't respond to the usual treatments, and I refused to even consider the most aggressive ones, not wanting to spend what might remain of my life in a hospital, feeling too sick to actually consider what I was doing as living; the doctor gave me three months to live."

"But you're alive now..." The redhead mumbled.

"I am, because of Loki." I pulled the right sleeve of my dress up to show her an engraved golden cuff-bracelet on my wrist. "He created this, he has an identical one, they're called deamarkonian, the basics is that Loki's draws steadily on some of his power, sending it to mine, to me, and that power keeps the effects of the cancer at bay. It's what saved my life six years ago." I took a deep breath before going back to the point. "One of the things my doctor told me once, was that I would never have kids, even after my miraculous survival from the leukemia, there was no way my body could handle a pregnancy. I forgot all about that at some point. Even after my first fainting spell, when Healer Eir told me I was, in fact, with child, I did not remember, did not take precautions. Then, one day I just... I felt a blinding pain in my belly and I collapsed." A tear fell down my cheek. "I lost the baby and almost died myself, only a mix of Eir's healing gift, Loki's magic and Hel's mercy saved me... nothing could be done about my baby... The moment I woke up I was fed one of Idunn's apples, and more in the following days and weeks, it was part of my recovery. Still, the damage was done already. My baby died because I was too stubborn to take the apples earlier... my baby... Rose..."

"Was it going to be a girl?"

"I don't know... I've always dreamt about a baby-girl though..."

For the longest time we said nothing. I knew it couldn't have been easy for the Black Widow to reveal so much to me, a virtual stranger, someone she could not trust; though I would make sure not to betray that trust, it was the least I could do. Eventually though, she spoke.

"Director Fury wants me to try my hand at interrogating Loki." She told me.

I just nodded, not knowing what she expected me to say, or what I could say, if anything.

"Any tips?" She inquired.

"Be very careful, very alert when you talk to him." I recommended her. "Pay as much attention to what he doesn't say, as to what he does, even more so. He will not lie unless he grows desperate, he by much prefers his word-games; which is why you must be alert. Because even when you think you have everything under control, that you are guiding him to the answers you seek, it's likely he's just baiting you and playing with you. And above all else, remember this, if he ever says something that seems so obvious, that it seems you've uncovered a great secret... do not believe it for a second, because that's his favorite play."

"Why are you giving me all this advice?" She asked next. "Granted, I asked, but I did not expect a step by step guide on how to interrogate him."

"Oh, trust me, it won't be anywhere near that easy." I assured her. "That I've told you what to do doesn't mean you will have much, if any, success at it. You will see when you go to interrogate him. Though, to be perfectly honest, I do wish you luck."

"Why?" She didn't understand.

"Because right now any kind of victory, however small, may take me a step closer to getting my match back, and I want that more than anything else in the universe..."

"Do you know how to break the spell manipulating them?"

"I have an idea. The logical course of action would be to make them lose consciousness."

"Just that?"

"Despite what some people might believe, it is untrue that when we sleep our mind rests, stops working... what happens is that our subconscious takes over, and it is much more chaotic than the conscious part of our minds. You can control the conscious mind, but not the unconscious one. It is likely that Erik Selvig, your Hawkeye, and anyone else who's under that spell, Loki included hasn't slept a wink since they were taken over."

"So, in theory, if they were to lose consciousness the spell would fail, because the magic won't be able to take hold of their subconscious mind."

"In theory, yes."

"So, if I hit Hawkeye hard on the head, knock him out, he would be alright when he woke up."

"In theory, yes. I could check him over afterwards, just to make sure, if you want."

"Why haven't you tried this with Loki then?"

"Do you have any idea the kind of force it would take to make him unconscious? I do not have that kind of strength, and even though Thor does... it would take some effort, and if Loki were to realize at some point what was being attempted... the spell might force him to run away. And then we might not be able to find him again, not in time to save him." I sighed. "The thing you need to understand, Black Widow, is that right now Loki is here because he wants to be. That steel and glass cage you put him in, as strong as it might be, isn't magical in any way. If my match truly wanted to get out, he could, in a second."

"He can teleport, just like you can."

"And Shadow Walk, and many other things. Who do you think taught me to do it?"

"Then why is he still here?"

"It's part of his plan. I don't know what exactly that plan might be, but it includes being here right now, until something happens, which means..."

"Which means we must be on alert."

"And you should get on with your interrogation sooner rather than later. Just in case."

No more words were said, but we had reached an understanding. For the moment Loki was a criminal and a prisoner to her, but just like I would never try to stop her getting her Hawkeye back, or even try to attack him, she would respect Loki because he was mine. We might not have known each other for more than a day, but we had enough in common: we were both women who were in love (however much such words might never cross her lips), and motivated by that very emotion, an emotion which would drive us to do anything and everything... There was a saying 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned...' they believed that only because they'd never seen a woman fight for love, rather than against it; love would always be stronger than anything else...

**xXx**

Early the next morning, before dawn, I was sitting beside the S.H.I.E.L.D. Sub-Director, Maria Hill, at Agent Natasha Romanoff's (Black Widow) suggestion while she went ahead with Loki's interrogation. I had no idea what had delayed it for so long, but didn't ask either; there was obviously a lot about the way a secret organization like theirs functioned that I could never hope to understand. I'd slept fitfully for a few hours in the afternoon, then a few more wandering around the flying fortress, hood up so people couldn't actually look at me. Eventually one of the Agents found me and asked me to accompany, that Agents Hill and Romanoff were looking for me. And thus, there I was.

I didn't actually pay that much attention to the exchange at first. Knowing I would be able to notice the change when they got to the important part. Romanoff revealed so much, it made me wonder if opening up to myself had helped her somehow, or she just didn't care about her own personal experiences enough, considered them valuable enough to ever keep them private. It might have seemed expected from someone in her position, but an instinct inside told me it wasn't that simple; she might be a spy, an assassin, and many other things; but there were things that were personal, that were important, no matter what sort of training we might have had.

After Loki began enlisting Romanoff's sins, Hill actually turned to look at me quietly.

"What is it?" I asked her.

"I'm just surprised you didn't react to any of that." She admitted.

"I may be young, Agent Hill, but I am no fool, or under any delusions regarding anyone working for an agency such as this... or even Loki himself." I told her calmly. "I may love him with all I am, may choose to believe the best of him at times; but that hasn't made me blind to his faults. I was honest when I said I believed he hadn't ordered any deaths... but I also know he didn't regret them, they don't even factor in his mind. It's not even because they're human, but simply because they're people he doesn't know, has no connection to, therefore they mean nothing to him."

Loki's next words interrupted my speech, I could sense the change I'd been waiting for:

"You lie and kill in the service of liars and killers." My match was saying in a very cold tone of voice. "You pretend to be separate, to have your own code, something that makes up for the horrors. But they are a part of you, and they will never go away..."

"He's not talking just about Romanoff anymore..." I told Hill quietly.

"Others in this vessel?" Hill asked, immediately on alert.

"Yes, but also..." It took a lot out of me to say the next part, but I knew I had to. "Also himself." I let out a very small sob. "Things he's done in the past, Odin..." I mentally cursed the so-called king of the gods, before something else occurred to me. "Oh Spirits... Oh..."

Loki's next words only confirmed what I was beginning to suspect deep inside:

"I won't touch Barton!" He said almost hysterically. "Not until I make him kill you. Slowly, intimately, in every way he knows you fear. And then he'll wake just long enough to see his good work, and when he screams I'll split his skull!"

"Oh Spirits..." I was beginning to hyperventilate in horror.

I didn't even pay attention to the end of the interrogation; though from the corner of my eyes I could see the change in Romanoff the moment she seemingly got what she wanted and left the room, probably to join us.

I was lost in my mix of horror and terror for what seemed like a long while, until I heard someone talking to me in my ear, the voice switched between several languages, and when it spoke in Irish I couldn't help but sag. It continued speaking in that language. It was only because of how fluent I was in that language that I realized at least the basics of what was being said: I was being told to breathe, to time my breathing to hers, numbers called, a timing... eventually it was enough to make me relax, make me focus again.

"An bhfuil tú níos fearr anois (Are you better now)?" I finally recognized the voice speaking Irish as Agent Romanoff's.

"Sea (Yes)..." I whispered in the same language, before switching to English. "And I can speak English now. Thank you."

"What happened?" Romanoff inquired, though turning to Hill.

"She was interpreting Loki's possible secret meanings behind his words, when something he said seemed to make her snap." Hill explained, obviously still not fully understanding. "What was that other language?"

"Irish." I told her calmly. "It was my mother's native language, one of the first I learnt, when I was very young. The few memories I have of her, of before her passing, have her either talking or singing to me in that language. It's why it helped."

"I just kept switching languages until one helped." Romanoff shrugged. "What made you snap?"

"You kept saying 'Oh Spirits'..." Hill reminded me quietly. "Before Agent Romanoff got Loki's revelation in the interrogation."

"What did he say?" I asked, curious.

"He means to unleash the Hulk." Romanoff answered promptly.

"Were those his exact words?" I insisted, it didn't fit with my revelation.

"No." Hill said right away. "Agent Romanoff had just called him a monster, and he said 'You brought the monster...'"

I couldn't help it, I let out a strangled sob.

"He... he wasn't talking about Banner." I told them, forcing myself to speak past the knot in my throat. "He was talking about himself." I looked straight at Romanoff as I added. "The things he said he would do to Barton... he didn't actually mean then, not like that. He was speaking of his own fears rather than yours."

Romanoff's eyes widened, minutely but it was there; I knew she was beginning to come to the realization I had before; and our previous understanding helped as well.

"I don't understand." Hill admitted.

"Loki..." I took a deep breath, trying to focus as much as possible. "He knows he's being controlled, he knows and... and there's nothing he can do about it." I swallowed. "The things he spoke of Agent Barton doing to Agent Romanoff..."

"Are the things he fears he might do to you..." Romanoff finally understood.

"I know not if he actually remembers me, but the instinct is there, and with it the fear." I clarified. "He actually did give you what warning he could... your interpretation notwithstanding." As my mind focused enough I began understanding more. "That specific term, it's possible that, as part of his control, he meant to misled you but also... if there is enough of him actually active, inside his own mind, he also meant for at least someone to understand the truth. He has referred to himself as a monster before."

"So... he was both following his evil plan and warning us at the same time?" Hill asked for clarification, obviously confused.

"He's playing both sides of the board, because he has to." Romanoff realized. "He can only do little things right now, and hope they'll be enough."

I nodded grimly, hoping they truly would be. Maybe it was too much to ask for spies, people who were taught not to trust anyone, to do exactly that; but at least they seemed willing enough to believe me, I had to hope, like Loki seemed to, that it would be enough.

And then, as if the situation weren't already precarious enough, a deafening explosion shook the whole flying fortress violently. Romanoff and Hill cursed in unison, I just blanched... it seemed the 'plan' (whatever it might be) was moving forward.

I followed the two women to the bridge, hearing them talk into their comms with Aunt Kathryn, who apparently had been left in charge. I could hear battle going on around us; when I focused on my brother I got a mental image of him fighting the Hulk, it seemed like Dr. Banner had lost control. I got the idea that if we weren't in such a dire situation the fight would have been a source of great fun for my dear brother; really, he enjoys fighting way too much.

We weren't far from our destination when our way was blocked by at least half a dozen men in dark clothes. I heard Natasha curse in Russian before she threw herself into fighting one of the men, Hill following her.

It took me no time to realize they were trying to protect me, while at the same time fighting, and it was costing them. In the end it did not work, as I could suddenly feel a knife against my side.

"Drop your guns or the girl dies!" The man threatened.

The two S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents spun around in shock. I could see they were trying to think of something to do; but I wasn't about to allow them to risk anything, not like I needed it anyway.

"You made a mistake." I told the man threatening me.

"Really, what is it?" He asked in a drawl.

I could see his eyes from the corner of mine; they weren't blue, which meant he wasn't being controlled, he was there, hurting and killing others, of his own free will. That made me feel better about what I was going to do.

"You thinking I need to be saved..." I told him.

Before he could fully process what I'd just said I purposefully moved into the hand with the knife, I could feel some pressure against my side, but nothing else (the spells on my clothes prevented any harm). The move took him enough by surprise that I got an opening. With quick, fluid moves I buried the heel of my boot on the most vulnerable part of his foot; then, as he twisted in reaction to that I spun around, using the base of my hand to hit him in the very center of his chest with enough force to rob him on his breath, a strong enough kick on the side of his knee (the opposite leg from the one I'd already hurt), sent him down. A quick spell then put him to sleep.

Granted, I could have done that since the beginning, or at least since I had him in front of me (so there would be no distractions that might make me send the spell to someone else), but I just was feeling a tad vindictive in that moment.

"Nice..." Romanoff admitted with a smile.

"We've got perimeter breach." Hill called into her com even as she nodded at me. "Hostiles are in SHIELD gear. Call out to every junction."

We were about to begin running again when I sensed something; my hand snapped forward before I could fully think on my actions, taking hold of the redhead ahead of me.

"What is it?" She asked.

"He's here." I told her simply.

"What...?" It took her a second to understand what I meant. "Clint..." She let out a breath. "Where? How do I find him?"

"There's no time to go into details." I told her with a shake of my head. "But you're connected to him. Follow your instincts and you'll find him."

With a nod she took off back from the direction we'd come from. Hill didn't say anything to me, she just kept walking in the direction of the bridge, and I followed her.

"Agent Hill reporting..." She began calling as we finally arrived.

I noticed it a fraction of a second before she did, the metallic cylinder that went rolling into the bridge, just a step or so ahead from her. I reacted before she could fully process anything. With some help from magic I pushed her, throwing her off the platform we were standing on and jumping ahead of the cylinder myself. Then, as soon as I was sure she was safe I spun around on my heel, throwing my hands up. It all happened in less than a second, and I knew there was no time to call on my magic in the way I usually would, drawing runes in the air and such. All I could was focus as hard as I could, and pray it would be enough.

"Algiz!" I cried out at the top of my lungs.

The shield barely shimmered into place a breath before the grenade went off; while it certainly managed to negate almost all the damage, the explosion was still serious enough to make the shield itself shatter as if it were glass, the backlash throwing me straight off the platform and into the lower level. I thankfully lost consciousness before actually hitting anything. In the last instant I could only pray I'd done enough...

* * *

I know some people might think I was too cruel with some of the things I did here, but with everything that had happened already by that point I needed a reason for Loki to allow that darkness to seize him even with Nightingale already there and his wife, and a reason for her not realize what was going on until it was too late to stop it.

Next chapter: The more things change the more they stay the same... or maybe not. How much can really change for the battle of New York and its aftermath, after everything that's already happened?


	3. Goddess

I always wanted to write the scene of Tony and Loki in the tower... and the opinion of a third person regarding their exchange. It was fun!

I try to do things different in every story, but eventually I was going to begin running out of ideas, so yeah, sorry about the cut scenes.

* * *

**Goddess **

I didn't become a goddess for the power, I became one to stand by my match, as equals.

A low moan escaped my lips when I woke up. Surprisingly enough I wasn't as hurt as I was afraid I would be, which meant, most likely, that someone had caught me when the backlash of my shield threw me into the air. Taking advantage of the fact that, apparently, no one had yet noticed that I was awake I focused my magic, which was half-depleted, and began canvasing the helicarrier. It took no time for me to realize that Loki wasn't on-board, which wasn't really a surprise; what did surprise me was when I found out that all the Avengers-Initiative-Candidates except Stark were missing as well. Who happened to be beside my bed!

My eyes snapped open instantly the moment I realized that.

"Good, you're awake." Stark called to me seriously. "We need to get moving."

"What...?" I had no idea what was going on.

The next thing I realized was that on the bed beside mine was someone I knew well.

"Aunt Kathryn!" I cried out in shock as I stumbled out of the cot I was on and to the one she laid on. "What the hell happened?!"

"Well, your honey decided to make off with the rest of the people with those creepy blue eyes." Stark said in his usual snarky way. "Agent, Coulson, thought it was a good idea to try and stop him on his own, and then the legendary Sphinx decided to step in when Reindeer Games nearly skewered him with the shiny stick-of-destiny of his."

"Wasn't the scepter supposed to be sealed?" I inquired.

"Yeah... we never really got around doing that." He shrugged. "And something tells me it would have hardly made a difference in the end."

He was probably right, with my magic being Loki's no seal of mine would have been enough to stop him in the end. But I still worried about my aunt.

"What happened, exactly?"

"I don't know the details." Stark said, more quietly than usually. "Her shoulder was badly hurt, the doctors are saying she might never be able to use that arm again." He hummed slightly before adding. "Still, her actions saved Agent's life. According to what he said, Loki would have stabbed him through the chest if she hadn't interfered."

"And where exactly is the Son of Coul...?" I began, then remembered something else. "Why did you say we needed to go?"

"It's part of the same." Stark shrugged. "I, being the genius I am, was able to deduce that your honey intends to open the portal-of-doom above my awesome tower in New York. Agent and Capsicle rounded the troops and got on their way in the quinjet. By the way, that includes Barton, Natashalie said to tell you your idea worked just fine on him. I told them I would catch up. Had to fix a few imperfections with the suit beforehand... and wanted to see if you may want to tag along." He obviously noticed my mix of disbelief and distrust for he added. "Look, I know we got off the wrong foot; and after the way I put my foot in my mouth yesterday you probably don't want to so much as look at me. But this might be your last chance to get your love back, it's why I'm asking. So, what say you?"

I made my choice in a second, really, there was no choice to make. It would always be Loki.

"Lets get going then." I declared. "And you better not drop me Stark!"

Stark just laughed as he followed me out of the infirmary.

We made a stop as I went to see Maria Hill. I handed her a small crystal vial I had, full of gray dust; explained briefly that it was healing-stone-powder and how it was to be used. Half of it (equivalent to a stone) ought to be enough to fully heal my aunt's shoulder, the rest could be used to help the agents that were hurt during the attack, get better.

"Where are you going?" She asked as I was leaving.

"To get my match back." No more answer was necessary.

**xXx**

In the end Stark did drop me, though it was actually part of the plan, or the approximation of a plan we managed to make on the way to New York. It was relatively easy for him to let go of me while we rounded his tower, and from them I just needed to teleport the right way to land on the roof of his tower. It took very little effort to hit Selvig on the back of his head with enough force to knock him out. I would have liked to stay long enough to help him more, if just for Thor, but things needed to be done and I couldn't delay.

So I teleported once again, directly into Stark's penthouse. I briefly saw him land on the second level of his viewing deck as machines activated, taking his armor off; while Loki observed him from the lower level. I made sure my cloak was fully up and that I had what I needed in hand, then I stepped back, hiding myself in the shadows (this time without magic, as that close using a spell might just end up calling Loki's attention rather than the opposite).

Loki walked right past me, focused completely on Stark, who walked into the penthouse as if he had nothing to fear, at all.

"Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity." Loki drawled.

"Uh... actually..." Stark hesitated for a fraction of a second before smoothing out his expression and diving straight into things. "I'm planning to threaten you."

I could hardly believe he'd just said that. It seemed absolutely insane.

"You should have left your armor on for that." Loki commented.

"Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage." He said, like it was a minor issue, one that didn't really matter. "You've got the uh... blue stick of destiny. Would you like a drink?"

Talk about non-sequiturs... it made me wonder if he actually had a plan or he'd just been bluffing when he said he could distract Loki long enough for him to lower his guard and be more receptive to my part of the plan.

"Stalling me won't change anything..." Even Loki was in disbelief.

"No, no, no... threatening." Stark insisted, moving to stand behind the bar, and he truly served himself a glass of something alcoholic. "No drink? You sure? I'm having one."

"The Chitauri are coming, nothing will change that." Loki reminded him, taking a quick look out, as if waiting for something. "What have I to fear?"

"The Avengers." Stark told him as if it were obvious. "It's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes' type of thing."

"Yes, I've met them." My love replied.

It was obvious he wasn't buying Stark's 'threats', but they were distracting him, which was the point of everything. I tightened my grip on the object in my hand as I got ready to do my part. Silently praying to any Higher Power there might be for it to work... since I had no other plans after that one; and we were running out of time.

"Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one." Stark shrugged. "But, let's do a head count here. Your brother, the Demi-God; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger-management issues; a couple of master assassins; supernanny with a side of ninja and something else just for good measure; and you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them..."

At some point during his speech, as Loki turned once again towards the glass-wall, he'd done something beneath the stone counter, though I could not see what exactly. He'd told me about it, how he had bracelets that would help him get another of his suits, since the one he had in the helicarrier was too banged up to be useful in the upcoming battle.

"That was the plan." Loki declared in obvious satisfaction.

My brow furrowed almost involuntarily; because really, my match was too good a strategist to truly believe that angering every able fighter was a good way of beginning a war. Which made me think that it might be the part of him that kept fighting to help us and complicate matters for the Titan... I hoped that part would also come when the time came for me to act. All my plans and hopes would mean nothing if my love didn't help.

"Not a great plan." Stark commented almost off-handedly as he stepped around the counter, drink in hand. "When they come, and they will, they'll come for you."

"I have an army." Loki retorted.

"We have a Hulk." Stark shrugged.

"Oh, I thought the beast had wandered off." My match seemed suddenly interested.

It really had been part of his plan, and even though Romanoff had never reported her 'findings' to Fury, he had still gone ahead and done the damage. Still, Stark had faith that Dr. Banner would find his way to us, I hoped he was right, we would need him when the chitauri came.

"Yeah... you're missing the point." He finally approached my love, never once turning to look for me, appearing as non-plussed as ever. "There's no throne, there is no version of this, where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. 'Cause if we can't protect the earth, you can be damned well sure we'll avenge it."

A spark of something appeared in my love's eyes right then as he approached Stark; I knew he was about to make his move; but before he could, Stark made his:

"Oh, and I was forgetting, one other person we have on our side..." He called as he gave a step back, readying himself.

"Really?" Loki asked testily, noticing something had changed, even if not what. "And who might that be exactly, you?"

"No." Stark smiled widely as he waved his hands dramatically to Loki, or past him, to me. "The Goddess of Devotion!"

Loki reacted instantly, spinning around; I reacted before he could finish turning, dizi flute to my lips, I began playing. It was a melody of my own making, the only I'd ever composed in flute, there were no sheet music, I'd memorized the combination of tunes when creating it. I'd then gotten Lady Frigg's help to make a quick trip to Midgard and get a golden locket made, with a design of heart made of Celtic knots inlaid on the front, in the inside a chip with that very melody recorded. 'Trail of the Angels', I called it.

I focused all my strength as I played, willing my magic to infuse the flute and each note I played with it. After the first minute Loki seemed to finally stop fighting the power, at least physically; in his eyes I could see the battle was continuing inside, in the way the blue and the green fought over control of his eyes, and his soul...

Several times I made to put the jade flute down so I could have at least one hand free to cast a sleeping spell; it was the final part of the plan. But whenever I so much as slowed down my playing, my match seemed to lose a bit of control, so I couldn't stop. As I approached the end of the melody I began growing desperate. What was I supposed to do? I could continue playing, that wasn't the point, but I couldn't exactly keep playing forever...

The answer came from the place I'd least expected it. I was so focused on my beloved and the music, at some point I completely forgot about Stark. Right as I was reaching the final notes he made his move, ripping the scepter from Loki's hands, twisting it in his hands, before using it to hit my match in the back of the head as hard as he could. My beloved dropped to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut off (which, if things had gone right, was a rather apt comparison). I could only hope...

I turned to look at Stark, who immediately dropped the scepter to the floor.

"What?" He asked.. "It didn't look like what you were doing was going to be enough. Besides, you said that the whole point was to get him unconscious, right?"

I let out a breath. He was right, of course. There really was nothing else to do for the time being, so I just dropped to my knees, pulling my love's head onto my hand and slowly began healing him, and not just the hit on his head, but many more bruises and cuts he had all over his body. He truly had been hurting for a very long time... it made me hurt myself.

Stark just stood there, finishing his drink in silence as we waited. The plan better work... because if it didn't, I just didn't know what else to do...

**xXx Loki's POV xXx**

It was as if the clouds had parted, as if the restricting invisible cloth that had been smothering for spirits-know-how-long had finally been ripped away. Even before I truly woke up I knew things had changed. Then as I pushed myself towards consciousness I felt something I hadn't in so very long: petite fingers carding slowly, lovingly, through my hair. I also knew whose lap I was on, even before I opened my eyes and met her hazel ones.

"My Nightingale..." were the first words out of my mouth.

She looked at me intently, almost into me... then, seemingly finding what she was looking for, she smiled at me, a smile so blinding as I hadn't seen in a very long time; since before everything had begun to go wrong. As she folded over herself, over me, burying her face in my chest and crying, it took me a few seconds to fully understand what she was mumbling.

"You're back..." She sobbed. "I have you back... Oh Spirits thank you! I'd begun to fear this day would never come..."

I was about to ask her to clarify until suddenly my mind fully refocused and I realized how right she was. I had been lost, not only from her, but also from myself, for almost a year. It might not seem like long for most of those who lived thousands of years, but to me, without my match, it had felt like an eternity.

"My Maverick?" She asked after a long silence, straightening just enough to look at me.

"I thought I would never get out of that darkness..." I admitted quietly. "Regardless of how hard I tried, nothing seemed to be enough."

"You did what you could." She assured me. "The Agents you had taken over are alright now, out of the mind-control, same with Dr. Selvig. And the Avengers have assembled..."

"I threw Thor off that flying fortress..." I muttered guiltily.

The mind-control was worse than I ever imagined it could be. And it wasn't just the actions themselves, though I knew those were bad enough. It had gone beyond that, because I hadn't only pretended to hate Thor, I had genuinely felt that emotion. As unthinkable as it might seem to me in that moment, it was still true. I could still remember what I'd told to my brother once, what seemed like so long before:

"_I may get envious sometimes, but never doubt that I love you..." _

I could only hope he still remembered those words, still believed me. Otherwise I had no idea how we were ever going to get past what had happened.

"With Mjolnir in his hand, you and I both know no fall would have killed him as long as he had that." My match reminded him calmly.

And really, she was more than a goddess, she had to be more... there was no other way to explain her absolute goodness... her faith in me. I had no idea what I had ever done to deserve having someone like her at my side, but I would do my best to never lose her.

"I tried to kill his friend and..." I added, as the memories kept coming back, and then one in particular hit me and I was horrified. "I stabbed your aunt!"

"I know..." She ran a hand down his cheek soothingly. "I left Agent Hill one of my vials with healing powder to treat her and anyone else that may have gotten hurt during the fight. The Son of Coul is just fine and on his way as we speak."

I truly couldn't understand her, how can she love me that much? How could any being in the universe love another so much? Less than half of what I'd done should have been enough to push her away, to destroy anything she might feel for me; it would have, had it been anyone else. Yet she remained there, faithful... I remembered the words Stark had pronounced at the end of his corny speech, the last person he had on his side: Goddess of Devotion indeed!

"And on that front." Stark called our attention right then. "Rudolph, Princess, we have an awful dark hole opening over our heads and aliens rushing out.

"The chitauri are here." I moved to my feet almost automatically.

"That's what I just said." Stark muttered almost petulantly.

"Ready to make the Mad Titan pay?" My Nightingale asked me as I helped her to her feet.

"It will be my absolute pleasure..." I couldn't help the dark smirk that must have appeared on my face as my armor manifested. "But are you planning on going like that?"

She wasn't wearing appropriate clothing.

"What?" Stark turned to look at us again, his armor having assembled on him by then. "But I thought that the little lady... well..."

The whole thing actually made me wonder just how many suits of armor he had available... it seemed like a good precaution, and something most Asgardians would never think of. There was no doubt Midgardians could be resourceful when they wanted to... but I was digressing, and the Man of Iron was still looking at my match with the same expression of disbelief... he had underestimated her, and probably not for the first time.

He didn't say it, he didn't dare to, but it was still pretty obvious that he thought she was staying behind. Like every good little wife... Maybe he was another who underestimated her because of her size... I wondered if no one had told him about her training, and her almost legendary stubbornness (really, even Mother wasn't that bad!) I did not know, but it hardly mattered in the end. Fact was, he did not know her. At least he was intelligent enough not to try to stop her... or even begin to believe I would.

She was still smiling as she took a step back, waving one of her hands around her body in a specific pattern even as she used the other to unclasp her cloak and let it fall. It never touched the floor, vanishing into a subspace pocket along with her dress which was replaced by the battle-attire I so loved on her. Violet really was her color, but it was more than that, I had spelled each piece of the ensemble, to protect her better than any armor ever created.

The minx actually did a little turn, showing off (giving Stark a good view of all the knives on her person, shocking him some more).

The Man of Iron turned to look at me, then at my love, the same expression on each of our faces, then shook his head and turned his back to us even as he spoke into the comm.

"JARVIS, patch me in with Agent." He ordered, then after a bit he continued. "Agent, I'm in Stark Tower with the Little Princess and her honey... Yeah, We've got Reindeer Games back on the side of the good guys." He paused for whatever was being said from the other side. "Oh, and we've got an army of aliens spilling into our skies right now, so you better hurry!"

As he spoke my match offered me a vial with her re-engergizing elixir, I didn't even need to ask her anything, as I could sense her swallowing her own. It was a good idea, for us to be on top-shape for the upcoming battle.

"So, you ready?" Stark asked us right then.

"Lets set the bastards on fire." I decided.

We were all off right then, and the battle began.

**xXx Nightingale's POV xXx**

It took us almost a quarter of an hour before we could all be in the same spot at the same time. We'd finished with the first wave of the invasion relatively quickly, thanks to our variety of abilities, and together Iron Man, Loki, and a kid in blue and red spandex I'd never seen before managed to stop the aliens from getting more than a handful of blocks away from what we were calling 'ground-zero' (Stark Tower).

We'd all just reunited when Hawkeye went straight for my love, decking him straight in the jaw. Loki didn't even try to defend himself, just allowed the hit to connect and moved with it as much as possible, not only to reduce the damage to himself, but the damage Barton would have gotten on his hand.

For a few seconds, there was only silence. The only reaction that of the Black Widow checking on her partner's hand to make sure he didn't break it (he didn't). Loki just pressed his fingers to his split lip, ignoring the blood they came off in.

"Do you feel any better now, Agent Barton?" My love asked seriously.

"Not really." Barton admitted gruffly. "Why me?"

There was silence while my match apparently considered the best way to answer that.

"I could tell you I was as much under mind-control as you and played no part in you being taken, that it was just bad luck, you were in the wrong place at the worst time." Loki commented.

"But that would be a lie." Barton half-guessed, half-stated.

"It would, indeed." Loki admitted with a sigh. "Not the part where I was under mind-control, but just like you still had access to your talents, I had access to mine. I knew you were the best choice the moment I looked at you, for a multitude of reasons. First: If I hadn't chosen you, it's likely you would have died, like everyone else who was in that basement but your Director... Second: You had the necessary talents, and were the kind of man who could be put in charge of the others, and I needed someone like that. Third: When I touched you with the scepter, the Mind Gem, I could see flashes of your memories, your connections, I knew taking you would make things personal for a few people; and that was part of my secret plan. And Fourth..."

"Wait." The Man of Iron interrupted. "Secret plan? What secret plan?"

"The one that had us winning this thing." Romanoff dead-panned.

That surprised everyone except Thor and I and, somehow, the Son of Coul.

"I told you you weren't going to win..." Coulson muttered in contemplation.

"And you were completely right." Loki nodded. "The thing you missed what that I, the real me, beyond the haze the mind-control caused, never intended to."

Once again there was silence as the 'Avengers' fought against their pre-conceived notions to fully comprehend the truth of what my beloved had been doing all along.

"You were getting to number Four." I reminded my match, I knew that one was important.

"Right." He turned back to Barton. "Fourth: I knew you were one of very few humans who had the capacity of moving past something like that. Most would have crumbled under the mind-control, lost themselves. You didn't."

"How do you know that?" Hawkeye doubted himself, which wasn't good.

"You're standing right here." Loki said as if it were obvious. "You're a Warrior, not only in body but in mind. You didn't go insane, didn't have a meltdown. Your mind is yours once again and you can comprehend that I'm not the enemy, that the enemy is out there, and it needs to be destroyed."

"Yes, about that." Captain America called. "How are we going to do that exactly?"

"I can close the portal." My love announced as if it were nothing. "However... I believe it would do good to send a message first."

"What kind of message?" Several people asked at once.

"The one that makes the leader of the chitauri think twice before thinking of attacking your realm again." I pointed out, in sync with my love. "The one that makes every world think twice before considering moving against humans..."

"What are we waiting for?" Stark asked, all for it. "Lets blow up some aliens!"

Everyone agreed and a basic plan was traced. We would fight the chitauri for a while, maybe even an hour, before Loki went and made the portal collapse with the scepter. Unless we began losing control at some point, then we would do it sooner (we were not putting civilian lives in danger just to prove a point).

Even Fury liked the plan when it was shared with him. Later Maria Hill shared with some of us how Fury had gone straight to inform the World Security Council that his team had matters under control in New York; and how when one of them had even suggested the idea of a nuclear strike to end the problem once and for all she (my aunt) had shot him down fast and harshly enough to make the man fear her. Some people still remembered the Sphinx and what she was capable of; the last three years had also convinced them that fifteen years of civilian life had not lessened her abilities any, if anything they'd grown).

It felt good. Winning, protecting... I might still not consider myself a Warrior, but I knew without a doubt how fortunate I was to have been a part of everything that had happened. I wasn't an Avenger, nor was Loki; but after that day the heroes did consider us at least an unofficial part of their team. It felt nice. I knew Loki especially appreciated it, having people acknowledge his abilities, his prowess as a Warrior, and value him. That Thor was aiming those helped immensely. Now if only Asgard could learn from them...

**xXx**

We didn't go back to the helicarrier until three days later. Fury had wanted us back straight away but Stark had insisted that we all have a celebration in his tower, which he was declaring would be renamed Avengers Tower and inviting everyone to stick around before dinner was over.

On Thursday morning Miss Virginia 'Pepper' Potts arrived, and after making sure her boyfriend and everyone else was alright began explaining everything about a campaign she was setting up. The plan was for the 'Avengers' to go out and help with rescuing the civilians who might have ended up trapped in the debris during the battle, as well as helping the clean-up crews and the rebuilding. This was so the people would see the heroes out helping; would see them doing good outside of battle too and be more accepting of them. Stark Industries was donating a lot of money to help things too. It was all PR, really.

Fury didn't like it, at first. He especially didn't like that several of his highest ranking agents would be out and be identified; but eventually Aunt Kathryn and Maria Hill managed to convince him that as good as S.H.I.E.L.D. might be at black ops.; it never hurt having the public opinion on their side. So the plan was a go.

Loki and I used our magic openly and freely to clean up debris and get trapped civilians out of tight spots safely. At first people looked at us unsure, but eventually that changed. Loki said it was my size; after people moved past the idea of me looking like a defenseless child, or possibly being an alien due to my abilities, they couldn't help but find me adorable (the last part were Stark's words, not my love's).

We managed a lot in just two days, working all of us together, practically around the clock, doing anything we could. I knew Loki and I would pay for it eventually when our bodies forced us to crash, we might be gods, but even we needed rest, and the use of my elixirs might give us more time, but it would also mean sleeping a long while eventually. Enough that we felt alright leaving things for the human volunteers and working crews on Saturday, when Fury decided he'd been left waiting long enough and demanded we went in for a debrief.

If anyone on the helicarrier thought my change of attire odd, compared to what I was wearing the two days I was there, no one said a word (Loki had insisted I stayed in my battle attire, as it sent a message, of me as a Warrior, as strong and willful, unlike the more elegant and less imposing gown I had arrived in). I also had all my blades on; and while civilians would never notice them, the helicarrier was full of experienced Agents, who definitely did. I was sending a message, like Loki had said, and the fact that all the Avengers walked around me and none of them seemed the slightest bit bothered by my clothes or weapons somehow seemed to be enough to set the agents at ease, which was good too.

The first part of the debrief went easy enough, with each of us explaining what we'd done during what had come to be known as 'The Battle of New York'. Fury even, somehow, had the patience to wait until we were all done before turning to Stark and I.

"I still cannot believe the two of you were insane enough to do what you did." He said straight out. "Taking such risks with no guarantee..."

"With all due respect sir..." Phil tried to interfere in our favor.

"Our lives, our choices." Stark snapped almost at the same time.

"If you had failed we would have lost two important assets, and right at the beginning of an extraterrestrial invasion!" Fury insisted.

"Sir, I honestly don't think..." Hill tried to stop him next.

And still Fury didn't understand. He opened his mouth, probably to continue with his rant. But I decided I'd had enough. I wasn't going to let him continue berating me, and putting down my match, he was already having enough of a hard time with his self-loath as it was. Besides, if I did not allow the people of Asgard, not even Odin himself, to say negative things about my beloved, why should I allow him?

"Shut up, now." I pushed a little magic into my order for good measure, it wouldn't last long, just enough to be useful. "You've had your chance to speak, now it's mine. First things first: If after all I've said and done in the last few days you still don't understand where my priorities are, I don't know what the hell you're doing leading a world-wide organization. Just so we're clear, my main priority is Loki, always has been, always will be. Saving the world is well and good, and while I may feel proud for being a part of that, I didn't get into this to save anyone but him. Got that?" I didn't actually wait for an answer. "Three years ago I chose to forsake any normal, human life I could have ever aspired to, out of love for him, a love I hadn't said a word of and knew not if it would ever be returned. But I did it, because even the slightest chance of it was better than nothing. I've gone against many people in Asgard at one time or another to stand by my husband, while he was there, and after his fall. I am called the Goddess of Devotion for a reason." I sighed. "I never chose to be a goddess for the power it entailed, that was never important to me. It wasn't even the immortality. Having lived with leukemia since age five I grew up being perfectly aware of my own mortality; if anything gaining immortality confused the hell out of me. But I did it, for him, for Loki; because if I was a goddess, I was his equal, and that's all I've ever wanted, since I was eleven years old! So, once again, I care very little about how things appear in your duty-only mind, everything I've done has been out of love, and I regret not a single thing!"

"What would you have done if it hadn't worked?" Agent Sitwell asked from a corner, intrigued.

"I knew it would work." I insisted. "It did for Agent Barton."

"And how did you know that?" Fury asked immediately. "You were unconscious when Romanoff sent in the report that the 'cognitive re-calibration' had worked."

I couldn't help it, I snorted at the too-official term.

"Who do you think told me what to do?" Romanoff snorted herself. "Or told me Barton was on-board when the attack began?"

"It not working was never an option." I told the Director simply. "I wasn't going to lose my match a second time, not when I could actually do something about it. And if I'd had to smash the stupid Mind-Gem to take him away from Thanos's influence that's exactly what I would have done. I was forced to wait for months on even the ghost of a chance... I wasn't waiting anymore..."

It seemed like Fury either accepted my answer, or at least he'd realized whatever he said would change nothing and there was no point on pursuing the matter any further. He changed the topic, though not exactly to an easier one:

"Since we never had a proper debriefing after the New Mexico fiasco, and we conveniently have all the people involved right here, right now. I would like to proceed with that." Fury declared after a few seconds.

It was true, actually. Jane Foster had arrived on Thursday, courtesy of one of Stark's planes. Her assistant: Darcy Lewis was with her. The two women had fit right into the group. Perhaps the most surprising thing had been how willing they'd been to accept Loki as part of the group, forget anything he might have ever done against them, or their town. I could understand it from Jane, to a point, if she loved Thor the way I loved Loki, I understood being able to accept pretty much anything to protect that love... but Darcy Lewis was another matter entirely. She was a civilian, so young, had had no preparation for anything that had happened to her or around her, and her only connection was one of friendship with Jane. And yet she took it all in, accepted it, and moved on. She was truly a special kind of person.

There was some tension after the declaration was made, especially from the two brothers. Loki forced his expression to smooth out after a bit as his face twisted into a fake smile.

"Where to begin...?" He muttered with false cheeriness.

"They already know about..." I couldn't bring myself to finish my sentence, just placing a hand on my stomach briefly as I spoke to him.

"Wha...?" That was enough to make him drop his facade. "How...?"

"It just... kinda came up." I tried to downplay it, but couldn't fully manage. "Some couldn't help but wonder how I hadn't noticed when things went wrong, being your wife and all..."

"You were grieving!" Loki practically snapped. "You were in pain, we both were... and then the Allfather decided he'd postponed his sleep long enough, and who-knows why Mother couldn't take the place of Regent anymore, but he chose to push Thor into something he wasn't ready for yet, and it all went to hell from there!"

Not a word was said in response to that, though Loki and I could both see the interest in the eyes of all of those present.

"I owe you no explanations." Loki stated looking straight at Fury. "Not you, and certainly not your organization. I care not what power you claim to be able to wield in this realm, that means nothing in Asgard, much less Yggdrassil as a whole. I will tell you this, though, as a... courtesy: I was grieving for losing my unborn child; then I had a mental breakdown after learning I wasn't nor had I ever been Aesir, but was in fact Jotun, once of the creatures we in Asgard are taught practically from birth to fear and abhor. The combination of those two things pushed me to do a lot of what I now realize were stupid things, at the time I just didn't think much about it. After my fall of the Bifrost, Thanos found me. I might not be the kind of Warrior the Allfather wanted me to be, but I believed I could withstand any and all tortures they could come up with... and I did, until it was no longer enough. Thanos decided that if I couldn't be broken physically, he would do it mentally, and he used the Mind-Gem for that. I knew it was coming, which is the only reason I could protect myself, somewhat. I took all my good memories, my love, the very essence of my being, and hid it in a corner of myself; a corner Thanos would never be able to reach. Then I set up a trigger, specific circumstances in which it would all be released. The trigger was my dear Nightingale, what makes her who she is... voice and music both. The conditions of the mind-control made things a bit tricky, but she realized that I needed to lose consciousness to break the control, and I needed her to remember who I was. That's it."

It actually wasn't, and I knew it, things were a tad more complicated than he made them seem, all the things that could have gone wrong... but he'd told Fury enough, it's not like my love would ever willingly share his vulnerabilities with anyone, much less people like those in S.H.I.E.L.D. Yes, he'd said enough.

**xXx**

We left the following morning. After a plentiful breakfast in Stark Tower, where we'd all been staying the last few days, in spare rooms Stark had announced would be remodeled for each of us (even Loki and I, I didn't know when it happened, how or why, but Stark had decided we were part of the team, and everyone in the team would have rooms in his tower).

The Infinity Stones were placed in a specially designed container (created by Stark, Banner and Selvig working together). I had checked both Selvig and Barton to make sure nothing from the influence of the Mind Gem remained (they might have known Loki wasn't evil, but they still couldn't bring themselves to trust him, which was perfectly understandable).

We used the Shadow Paths. Even with Thanos still being in the abyss, Loki believed he would be busy for a while licking his own wounds, so the danger would be minimal. Thor had already trusted me to get us through them before, it wasn't hard at all for us both to trust Loki on the way back (he had much better control of that method of travel than I did).

We stepped out of the shadows and into the broken edge of the Bifrost swiftly. Heimdall was waiting for us with our horses.

"It's good to have you back, my lords and lady." The Gatekeeper said solemnly with a respectful nod at the three of us.

Loki arched a brow at the respect with which Heimdall was referring to everyone, even him, but did not comment on it.

"It's good to be back." Thor told him with a nod. "We need to get to the palace, right away."

"We need to take the long way there." I corrected my brother.

All three men turned to look at me at that.

"The Allfather will know by now we're here." I explained as best I could in few words. "I don't trust him not trying t do something against Loki. Brother, you saw how he reacted to us going to get him back..."

"What's the plan?" Thor didn't doubt to follow my lead in that matter.

"We need to make sure people know we're back, that Loki is back, and what's happened." I told him. "We need to get our version, the true version, of things out there, before Odin has a chance to concoct his own, distorted version of things."

"I very much doubt the people knowing I'm back will help things much." Loki muttered.

"Oh brother..." There was an almost mischievous glint in Thor as he spoke. "You have no idea."

Even Heimdall was smiling.

"I took the chance while we were in the Shadow Plane and sent a letter to Ambassador Voronwë regarding our return, and the basics of what happened in Midgard." I added. "So that front is covered. Lady Frigg will be on our side, obviously. Now we just need the people... which is precisely why we're taking the long road to Asgard."

"A well-thought plan, Princess." Heimdall complimented.

"I didn't save my match from Thanos's shadow only to have the Allfather throw him into a cell the first chance he gets." I announced strongly.

My love just embraced me tightly. I could feel his disbelief at my defense of him.

*You love me too much.* He murmured into my hair.

*No more than you love me, or than you deserve.* I replied, leaning into his touch.

I'd missed him so much... at times it still felt somewhat unreal to have him again, to be in his arms; like he could vanish, turn into smoke at any moment. That terrified me...

We got on our horses then. In minutes we rode all the way to the city proper, then left the horses on an alley, where servants would be able to retrieve them afterwards, while we continued on foot, and going straight through the main part of the city, including the market. I vanished my cloak and with a wave of my hand changed from my battle attire to my dress. While my match might have been right about proving a point, in that moment I needed to present a different image, one the people of Asgard were more familiar with and accepting of (it was still more than what they were used to in an Asgardian Lady, but still less shocking than me arriving looking like a Warrior, like Sif).

"Just follow my lead." I told my love, caressing his face softly.

His brows were drawn together, he didn't understand what I was doing, but then again, he hadn't been in Asgard for a year, hadn't seen all I'd done in his absence, all I'd done for him... Voronwë was no longer the only one calling me goddess of devotion, and there was a reason for that. I knew he would understand soon.

Getting into character, so-to-speak, I practically skipped down the alley and to the very entrance of the market.

"It's such a joy to be back home!" I called with a squeal as I spun around almost playfully, loud enough to call the attention of a number of passerby, but not enough that it looked intentional.

My love could tell it was all part of some plan, so when Thor began walking after me, he simply followed. I could feel the tension inside me, how unsure he was at the reception he might get from the people of Asgard. I would have reassured him telepathically if I hadn't been distracted right then by a little friend.

"Princess!" A girl in a cute pink dress called as she rushed to me, briefly looking back, to other kids. "The Princess is here!"

The reaction from the rest of the kids in the vicinity was instantaneous as they left whatever they were doing and ran to me.

"Princess Nightingale!" They all called excitedly.

The head of the group was a little girl who looked no older than ten or twelve (though, being an Aesir, she was obviously older than that). Her dark golden hair held up in two curly pigtails, light-blue eyes shining brightly and her simply pale pink dress with white slippers.

Loki and I had met the children right after returning from our honeymoon. A magik storm had taken place just the day before, leaving considerable destruction in its wake (and thankfully we hadn't been around at the time, for I was quite sure the council would have blamed it on my match if we had been). It had been my idea to go see if we could be of some help, we'd ended helping rescue a group of kids trapped in a cellar (the building above them had collapsed during the storm, thankfully aside from some bruises and scratches they were fine. Zira (the girl in the pink dress) had been part of the group, and she'd grown attached to me for whatever the reason. She seemed to be delighted by the fact that I was so small, yet married and a princess already. She also loved the 'magic tricks' Loki would use to entertain her and the other children whenever we were around. She, and all of the kids really, were the very reason why I'd wanted us to take the long way home...

"Princess Nightingale!" Zira called one more time before practically crashing against me. "You're back! We've missed you! You were gone for days!"

"I know, I'm sorry, there were things I needed to do." I told her.

"Grown-up things?" She asked, fidgeting.

"Some, but not all." I told her with a smile, dropping to my knees before her. "There was someone who needed a little help finding the way back home..."

Before Zira, or any of the other children could ask who, they all noticed the shadow falling upon us, which made them look behind me immediately.

"Prince Loki!" Ferio, the light-blonde boy standing right behind Zira was the first to react.

Everyone's greeting followed his.

My match was still quite surprised by that, he never expected what followed, when Zira rushed around me and went to throw her arms around my love.

"You're back!" She cried out in the absolute delight that could only be attributed to children.

It was something the children had grown used to with me. Me being so small (especially when compared to other Aesir) made me seem less imposing to the children, more approachable. When I chose to kneel with them to talk and joke and laugh with them, it allowed us to connect. Before I fully realized the kids were holding onto my arms, my waist, my legs, then the braver ones took to hugging me. The smallest liked when I carried them, though they knew I didn't have the strength to carry anyone older than three years old or so.

With Loki it hadn't been quite like that. The kids liked him, but it had taken them longer to feel fully comfortable around him; not because he'd done anything wrong, but because they found him imposing... still, none of them had dared thug him until that day. It was an image I would always treasure, as I wondered if our daughter would look like that, someday, in the future, when she was ten years old and hugging her papa...

Thanks to the near frenzy caused by the children, the adults soon knew that Thor and I were back; though most did not know why we'd left, where we'd gone, or anything... most only knew we'd been gone because I tended to visit every other day (something about the children, their games and their innocence made me feel at peace and happy). And of course they soon enough noticed the presence at my back.

Nobody made a single comment about our absence, return, or the unexpected appearance of my match, until Araibel, a young woman who usually watched over the children as they played, approached me discreetly while some of the boys distracted Loki.

"Will things be alright now, my lady?" Araibel inquired.

She was a very particular girl. Young, still looking in her mid-to-late-teens, her hair the darkest I'd seen in anyone in Asgard (almost brown with honey-highlights and golden tips), she tended to wear sleeveless dresses, also unlike most young women, and her skin was a beautiful golden tone. She'd told me once she wanted to be my handmaiden, even though she wasn't from a noble line, but from one of farmers (families that didn't enter royal service unless it was to pay a debt); she was also still much too young to enter service, though she'd promised to present herself in the palace the day after she turned off age.

Araibel was also, for whatever the reason, one of very few people I trusted. Not with everything, but then again I trusted no one but my match with absolutely everything. Still, she knew more than most. Knew about my origins, some things about the early days between Loki and I, even about the bracelet on my right wrist (which was becoming increasingly unnecessary the more I ate Iddun's apples... or so we thought). She even knew about my love being Jotun, something she hadn't breathed a word of to anyone, knowing it was sensitive information, same with my miscarriage (I could only imagine the kind of things a society like the Asgardian one would have to say about my having lost an unborn child... thanks to my studies I knew enough about how ancient human civilizations interpreted such things). I trusted Araibel to help me get out the 'right' version of the story.

"They will be, eventually... I hope..." I admitted quietly.

"What happened?" She dared ask. "When you didn't come for the third day in a row I began fearing something might have happened, and all the Lady Sigyn would tell me was that you and Prince Thor were on a secret and highly important mission, and I was not to say a word about it to anyone, for your safety."

"The need for secrecy was actually less a matter of safety, and more the fact that there was so much we didn't actually know." I admitted. "If you waited three days then that means that when you went looking for me, Thor and I were actually still here on Asgard, we did not leave until the fifth day." I sighed. "You know I like visiting Heimdall, and I usually do so after coming to the market. That day Heimdall told me something I wasn't expecting. After all these months with nothing to go on but faith, he'd finally found Loki. He was on Midgard, involved in something we did not understand, though the Tesseract had been found at the same time and was connected to it all somehow."

"The Tesseract?" Araibel asked, only familiar with the legend of the object and not its truth.

"It's a long and complicated story, and most of it is secret, I'm afraid." I told her with a sigh. "But I can tell you this: There were two sides fighting for possession of the Tesseract and my match ended up straight in the middle of them, being used by both in one way or another; though one side he was more aware of and playing with rather than being played with..." I shook my head. "Like I said, it's complicated."

"It was bad." Araibel guessed.

"He was hurt." I admitted. "Badly, probably worse than even I know. An inhabitant of the abyss used him to lead his army against Midgard." No need to scare her by revealing just who that abyss-dweller had been. "Somehow, in the midst of all the craziness he managed to call enough attention from the humans that they gathered a team of individuals with extraordinary abilities who were ready just in time to combat the alien army when it arrived."

"Mid... Midgardian Warriors?" She sounded as shocked as I expected.

"Yes." I nodded. "They call themselves Avengers. Each has incredible abilities, either because of training, something they were born with, or an accident they've turned in their favor. They're as strong and willful as any Asgardian Warrior I've ever seen."

"Did you... did you know about them... well, before?" She asked.

She was referring to become I'd come to Asgard, of course.

"I knew some existed, of course." I nodded. "I shall tell you and the children about them some other time. Some of the stories I've heard about them are quite incredible." I shook my head. "But no, I did not see any of the ones I'd known about beforehand. From the ones I did see... I'd heard a lot about Iron Man, though I've found he's quite different in person, both better and worse if you can believe that. I'd heard rumors about the Hulk, though I never imagined the soft, kind man that was behind that creature. Captain America... that one is as much of a legend in Midgard as Thor and Loki have ever been one here in Asgard; I think one of these days I'll go to Asgard and get some Captain America comics to show you and the children, I have a feeling you'll love them. And the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D... I knew Aunt Kathryn was working for them, but I'd never met any of them before in person."

"Sounds like you had a quite interesting adventure." Araibel decided. "I'm sure the children will love to hear all you can share about it."

"I will, probably in a few days." I decided. "Right now we're on our way to the palace."

I didn't say more, but still knew Araibel was intelligent enough to read between the lines, at least to a point. She knew there was a reason we'd chosen the long way, and she would probably be able to guess some of it (it was no secret that some people, even in the palace, did not like me... though the depth of the Allfather's dislike had somehow been kept more under wraps).

Yes, I was sure Araibel would be sharing with everyone how Thor, Loki and I had fought with a group of Midgardian Warriors against an alien army. And that I would be back soon to share the whole story in a few days. By the time I actually returned there would be adults waiting to hear all about it and not just children. There was no way the Allfather would be able to stop the story from getting around. Which was exactly the plan.

Which meant I had the people of Asgard on my side, and Alfheim, Vanaheim would follow Lady Frigg (therefore being also on our side), Helheim was quite obvious (with its Queen being my stepdaughter and all that), Nidavellir tended to stay neutral on most matter unless they felt threatened, and Jotunheim's King had declared us kin...

It was one thing I had taken care off as soon as I was back in enough shape after Loki's fall. Things had been bad back then. I'd heard the talk all around, from servants and nobles, of how Jotunheim might be planning an attack. Everyone was afraid a new war might be coming, and some were beginning to blame Loki... I wasn't about to allow that. So I decided to take matters into my own hands:

_It had been some god-awful weeks, training with Thor was beginning to get frustrating, but there was no one else brave enough and with enough of an open mind to try and help train me (this was before Sif and I had our first fight, and from then our spars-training). _

_I was in my formal attire, though with all my blades strapped on, my cloak charmed to protect me from the biting cold I expected to find in Jotunheim. Heimdall was already expecting me when I reached him at the end of the broken Rainbow Bridge. _

"_I hope you realize, princess, that what you plan is quite dangerous to your safety." He stated seriously as he watched me get off my horse. _

"_I know that, Heimdall." I nodded. _

"_Since you will refuse to listen to my warnings and desist of your objective, would you at least consider taking guards with you?" He asked next. _

"_You know I have to do this." I told him softly. "I have heard the gossip going around Heimdall, and not just about the threat of Jotunheim declaring war on us, but also of what the Allfather might do. He might disavow Loki, pretty much offer him to stave off war!" _

"_That is only a last-resource..." Heimdall began. _

"_If Odin loved my match as he ought to, as any good father would, it wouldn't be an option at all." I said darkly. "As it is, unless something is done now, all will be lost. Loki might as well die in the abyss because he will have something worse waiting for him, were he ever to find his way back!" I couldn't help the dark thought that followed from crossing my lips. "Hell, if it comes to that I will drive my own dagger into my heart and save us all the trouble!" _

"_Princess!" Heimdall seemed, surprisingly enough, honestly perturbed by the idea. _

"_I will not allow harm to come to my match, Gatekeeper." I told him in my most solemn voice. "I do not like the idea. I like life! Thank you very much... but I will not have my love coming back to Asgard, after everything he's suffering already, only to find even more suffering, instead of the home he deserves. I may not be able to stop the Allfather from doing as he wishes, but if all I can do to protect my match is keep him from those who might hurt him, that's what I'll do." _

_Heimdall didn't reply to that, I did not know if he didn't fully believe me, or was still perturbed by the idea that I was contemplating suicide as an acceptable alternative. And I knew it was crazy, I had said it a thousand times, that suicide is never the solution to anything... but the thought of everything my beloved had already suffered, of him fighting his way through the pain to get out of the abyss... only to be faced with something like what Odin was beginning to plan in his return to Asgard. It would be worse than what he was already going through. And, who knows? Maybe dying like that would earn him a place in a good afterlife, where he might be happy; being that it would be my doing I probably wouldn't get to go with him, but I'd failed him so horribly already, I wouldn't fail him again... which was exactly why I was going to Jotunheim. _

"_Like you said, that is only last-resource worst-possible-situation." I reminded him. "The main plan is this: I'm going to Jotunheim, as you know already. And back to your original objection, I am not taking guards because: first, I have nowhere near enough power to bring other people with me through the Shadow Paths, not yet... and the Hidden Roads would take too long. And second and most important: you must realize, like I do, that any significant group arriving right now on Jotunheim would only cause war to explode. I am hoping that arriving alone, and with the secrecy I am capable of, will allow me a chance. Perhaps I can convince whoever their new ruler is to stop the madness before it truly begins." _

"_If it is a child of Laufey, they will be able to see your bond to Loki." Heimdall warned me. _

_That caught me by surprise, and while I knew it was a risk, as they might choose to take their hate for my match out on me... it was still a risk I had, and was quite willing, to take. _

"_This is my choice." I declared, somehow managing to sound more confident than I felt. _

"_I hope you know what you're doing, princess." Heimdall admitted as he gave a step back. _

_To be honest, so did I. _

Things actually went better than I imagined, or even had any right to expect. Heimdall was right, several of the Jotun were able to identify me as the mate of one of theirs; Winter Touch, they called it. Only one could sense who exactly my mate was. Luckily that individual turned out to be Helblindi, Loki's half-brother, and the new King of Jotunheim; and even luckier, he was far more understanding and merciful than his father, Laufey, ever was.

He accepted that in the end the two incursions were on Laufey, he should have known better than to believe that the son he'd abandoned as an infant would ever help him in any way, especially against the family and realm that adopted him. What had happened afterwards, with the Bifrost... I had done my best to explain the kind of mental breakdown Loki'd had. In the end Helblindi reluctantly accepted that they had been highly unusual and extreme circumstances. Thankfully, while there had been great destruction, not too many of his people had died (I wasn't given any numbers). We all chose to hold the same individual ultimately responsible: Odin.

Helblindi also decided it was high-time someone acted as Ambassador from his people in Asgard. He chose someone who wasn't a Jotun, knowing the Royal Court would have never accepted that. An elven lady called Elanor. The most important detail was that her ward would be traveling with me back to Asgard: the child, about a year old or so, was a Jotun, a runt (like Loki) and Helblindi's youngest. The Jotun King believed that with the right upbringing the child, Hákon, could one day become a proper Ambassador for Jotunheim; also, he had a better chance at a good life (at a life at all) in Asgard than in Jotunheim as most Frost Giants didn't think much of runts, and with him being so small it would have been harder to survive in such an environment. Elanor herself was sick when I found her, and I thought Helblindi worried for her, if only because if she were to die Hákon would be left without a proper caretaker (he had too much to do).

So after using magic to send Heimdall a message of what had happened, and that I would be back in a while, as I would have to take the Hidden Roads back to Asgard (I wasn't risking Elanor, and especially not an innocent infant trying to take them through the Shadow Paths). Heimdall somehow managed to pick up on my wish to keep some things under wraps, so while people in the palace knew I'd be absent, no one but maybe Lady Frigg knew exactly where I was or what I was doing (most probably didn't actually care). I will never forget the expression on everyone's faces when I entered the Throne Room and made my announcement on the day of my return:

_The trip back had taken several days. I was dirty, exhausted, had had very little sleep (the Hidden Paths aren't a place where anyone would try to rest). I was sure I was projecting quite the image. My clothes covered in dust and mud, my hair knotted, the only reason my face was somewhat clear was because I had washed it with water of a river shortly after we'd made it into Asgard. Still, it was a powerful image (or so I wanted to believe). _

_Elanor, in her sturdy elven clothes and thick fur cloak, walked a few steps behind me, close enough that no one would stop her because they knew she was with me; but not so close that if anything happened she or Hákon (in her arms, hidden by the cloak) would be in danger. _

_We reached the hallway right outside the Throne Room in time to hear several people talking; and it was just our luck the very topic they were focusing on. _

"_We all know the risk." One man was saying. "The Frost Giants may be preparing themselves for war at this very moment, and without the Bifrost there is nothing we can do to stop them." _

"_Without the Bifrost we're stranded, but it's not the same for them." Another added. "As has been proven, at least some are capable of finding the the Hidden Roads." _

"_What we need is to find someone who knows where they are, and seal them." A woman's voice stated strongly. _

"_The Hidden Roads exist for a reason, Lady Councilor." Thor's voice stated. "We must not forget that. And if the Frost Giants were readying themselves for War, Heimdall would let us know." _

"_The problem with Jotunheim..." Another began. _

_I chose that as my cue, using magic to open the doors abruptly and stride into the Throne Room purposefully; everyone stopped talking automatically, turning to see who had arrived. _

"_Has been resolved, ladies and gentlemen." I declared as I reached the middle of the room. _

"_What is the meaning of this?!" Several councilmen demanded at once. _

"_Sister, where have you been?" Thor called worriedly. _

"_To appear before us looking thus!" A councilwoman reprimanded. "That's not how a princess of Asgard ought to present herself!" _

"_I hope the Court will excuse my appearance, seeing as I know the news I bring are of great importance and it was better I deliver them upon my return, rather than wait until I had been able to eat, bathe and rest." I stated half-sarcastically as I approached the group. "It is all for the good of Asgard, after all." _

"_Where were you child?" Lady Frigg asked, looking at me worriedly. "You were gone for several days and while Heimdall would tell us you were alright and had been successful in your journey, he wouldn't tell us where exactly you were or what you were doing." _

"_I was in Jotunheim, Mother." I addressed her in the manner she'd asked me to, after my marriage to Loki months before. _

"_Jotunheim?!" Several people reacted with shock to that. _

"_What you said when you came in..." Thor murmured, suddenly understanding. "You spoke of something being resolved..." He turned to one of the councilmen briefly and then back to me. "You were talking about the problems with Jotunheim..." _

_For all answer I slipped my hand inside the bag tied to my waist (the same where I kept my flute and emergency medical supplies), bringing out a rolled up parchment with a double seal: mine and Helblindi's. Still in silence I climbed the steps until I reached the middle of the dais where Odin's throne stood; there I dropped on one knee dramatically, lowering my head just enough to be respectful, and raising my hand to offer him the parchment. _

"_What is this?" He asked, not moving to reach for it. _

"_A peace treaty with Jotunheim." I announced proudly. "Signed by the King of the Frost Giants himself: Lord Helblindi." _

_Chaos followed my announcement. _

It took a while. At first because neither the Allfather nor the Council would believe that the parchment really contained what I claimed it did. Then when they began outrageous allegations of things I might have promised the Frost Giants to get them to sign, my 'true intentions' behind doing such a thing... etc. It went on until the Allfather reached the end of parchment and saw the name signed at the bottom: Helblindi Laufeyson... and then he began to understand.

He would never understand everything, of course, there was no way. He wasn't a proper father, wasn't part of a proper family, so how could he ever understand that Helblindi considered me as such, because I was married to his half-brother? We were family, kin, and that was far more important and powerful than any royal treaty...

Eventually Thor insisted on having the treaty countersigned, by him, then by his Mother, and eventually the Allfather signed it as well (though by that point it didn't actually matter anymore, enough members of the Royal Family had signed it already).

That had earned me a place in the Royal Council, more definitely than anything before might have (my marriage to Loki included). Even when I'd introduced Elanor as the official liaison with Jotunheim (Hákon was introduced as her son, with no mention made of his father or his possible future station, for his own protection), some still believed I had a higher standing when it came to that pact, because I was the one to arrange it, to sign it first, because I was the one Helblindi knew and trusted.

So yes, Jotunheim would definitely be on my side, and after what had happened in Midgard I wanted to believe they would be on our side too. Of course I also wanted to believe no such allegiances would ever actually be necessary; but it was good to have them, just in case.

The sound (so cherished, and loved, and missed...) of Loki's laughter brought me out of my trip down memory lane; pulling my whole attention in his direction. He was sitting on his ankles a few feet away from me, surrounded by children, and they were all laughing... though it was his laughter that captured my absolute attention.

"Yes... things will be alright." I murmured, more to myself than to Araibel.

**xXx**

In the end, our return to the palace went in a rather anticlimactic manner. I had been right when I said Odin would know already of our return; what I wasn't expecting was for him to have been completely neutralized as a threat before we ever did.

I never learnt fully what had happened. All Sigyn would tell me (which she'd been told by Karin, Lady Frigg's head handmaiden) was that the Allfather had been furious after our departure. He had attempted to send someone with the mission of recovering the Tesseract, taking down the one who had it (which supposedly would have meant my match... though we now knew he'd been elsewhere most of the time, leaving Barton and Selvig in charge). In the end the details mattered not, as no one had accepted the mission. It was unknown what the exact reason for the refusals were, and if they were all the same or different; though the handmaidens were convinced it was I, that after everything I'd done since marrying Loki I'd earned enough respect and loyalty that no one would so much as consider moving against me or mine. It was a dizzying thought, and I wasn't quite sure I fully believed it, still, I couldn't deny the joy and pride that I felt knowing that no one had been willing to even try to go after my love.

Things hadn't ended there, of course. Though the next part was even more of a secret, only the most trusted handmaidens knew, and even then only because it had been precisely Sigyn who had noticed something of and alerted Karin and the Queen. As it turned out Odin had attempted to curse Loki the same way he'd cursed Thor upon his exile. The combination of the considerable distance between the two and the fact that there was no true bond Odin could anchor his magic to, meant he failed on that too. Still, it was after that last part, that Lady Frigg decided it was high time her husband stepped down from the throne. While he might always have been a good King, he was much too obsessed with things, and there was no way of knowing how far he was willing to go to set things in a way he believed 'right' (not that there was much he could actually do, with the oaths Thor had already taken, and my own loyalties).

Which means, in simple terms, that when we stepped into the Throne Room that day it wasn't actually Odin sitting on the throne, but Queen Frigg.

We were actually taken aback a bit by things, but since nothing seemed to be actually wrong, we let it go (in that moment, eventually we dug until we found out at least the basics of what had happened, enough to understand the change). Lady Frigg did not insist on Thor taking the throne, she knew that while he was more prepared than he'd been the year before, he wasn't fully ready just yet, probably wouldn't be for a while... and she didn't mind, it was no problem for her to be Asgard's Regent for a few years, a decade even.

It took several weeks, but eventually we managed to settle back into a routine. I didn't stop going to Council meetings and such, but with Loki at my side, it was easier. He also accompanied me when I went into the city and soon the people grew used to seeing both of us, and sometimes Thor and his friends as well. Never before had the people of Asgard felt so connected to their royals, and they liked it (more than one had made mention of it).

Eventually Loki made a quick trip to Midgard, where he retrieved Jane Foster and Erik Selvig; then the three of them set to work with Heimdall and a group comprised of the very best scholars and spellcasters Asgard had, on restoring the Rainbow Bridge. In the end the work Jane did was considered a service to Asgard (like the year I spent as a handmaiden) and once the Bifrost was fully functional again she was given the chance to become a citizen. She took it immediately. We all knew it would take more than that for the people to accept her as a bride and one day Queen, but that day was a while away still, so there was time.

I knew it would happen. I believed in it. That one day Thor would marry Jane and she would become Crown Princess of Asgard, just like I was already a Princess. One day Lady Frigg would decide Thor was ready and he would be crowned King, he would make Loki his Regent and Head Advisor (Crown Whisperer, as some people called that position), and of course, Jane and I would be by their sides all the way.

One day the four of us would be family, maybe not by blood but certainly by choice, and together we would make sure that not only Asgard, but Yggdrassil as a whole was safe. It wouldn't be perfect of course. We knew there were still chitauri out there, and Thanos, and who knows what other entities that might one day come to believe they could conquer Midgard, could take on their heroes. That wasn't true, obviously. There were the Avengers, and others like the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the young man with spider-like abilities we met during the battle of New York, and spirits know how many others just like them that might exist around the world. No, Midgard wasn't vulnerable, at all; the realm was strong, and Asgard was beginning to learn that, was beginning to value their ally as such rather than a lesser one that needed to be protected always. With time hopefully the rest of the realms would come to see it that way.

Yes, a lot of things would hopefully come in due time. However, that day, at the beginning of the Spring, almost a year after the Battle of New York, we had something to celebrate, a day full of joy: a princess had been born: Rose Alfdis Lokidottir...

* * *

If things continue as I've planned thus far, we only have one more AU to go, and then it's back to the main timeline! (yeah, finally...). For that AU I've used an idea given to me by a reviewer (I'm sorry I cannot remember your name right now), about someone finding out about Nightingale's existence when she's still young, but things actually going well. That's the basic premise for the next story: Deirfiúr, hope you'll enjoy...

See ya in three weeks!

(And if you like AoS, please don't forget to read my other series: Menel, the first part is just finished!).


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